The Contribution of Further Education and Skills to Social Mobility

The review was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in order to synthesise recent evidence about the contribution of Further Education (FE) and skills to social mobility in England, or the movement of people through social strata. Within the scope of this research, Further Education (FE) and skills included adult learning from Entry Level through to Level 3 and encompassed Community Learning, second chance provision including Access courses, some apprenticeships, training for benefit claimants and substantive skills training in the work place. Improving UK performance on social mobility was a core policy objective of the 2010 – 2015 Coalition Government, and its progress on this was monitored by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission using a set of indicators. The indicators reflect life stages and include a set relating to adulthood, focused on access to the professions, wage progression and achievement of Level 2 and 3 qualifications by adults aged over 19. This life stage approach is reflected in this report which presents evidence of direct impacts on learners, and indirectly on their children.