Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner has announced plans to ensure everyone has access to education and training throughout their life to end skills shortages and allow our economy to rise to the opportunities of the future.

Labour is pledging to put vocational education on a par with university degrees and deliver a radical expansion of lifelong learning to make sure no one is shut out of education. The plans will enable adults to return to study for free and ensure everyone has the time and support they need to study and retrain.

Peter Lamb, Crawley’s Council Leader and Parliamentary Candidate for Labour said; “The Centre for Cities has warned that Crawley’s jobs market is the most risk of automation in the UK. Under Labour, Crawley Borough Council has created the town’s first ever jobs and skills plan to help residents to access the training they need for the jobs of the future, but we can’t do it alone. Labour’s commitment to enabling adult access to retraining and study are a vital contribution to helping us to tackle one of the biggest issues facing our town.”

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “For many, adult education is too expensive, too time-consuming or too difficult to get into. 

“People have been held back for too long. We will make free education a right to ensure we have the skills we need to allow our economy to rise to the opportunities of the future. We’ll make sure no one is shut out of education by giving people the support, time and funding they need to train so that we have the skills we need to meet the changing nature of work and tackle the climate emergency.”