Insight · Education & Skills
Would West Midlands Adults Go Back to Education?
Managing Director, Bridgehead Communications
Published 8 min read
57% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults say they'd consider returning to education or training, but 70% and 60% respectively have never heard of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement that's meant to fund it.
Key findings
- 57% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults not currently in education would consider returning to education or training.
- 70% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults have never heard of the government's Lifelong Loan Entitlement, the scheme designed to fund exactly that return.
- Among Birmingham adults aware of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, 39% could not say what it is for, against 8% of aware West Midlands adults.
- "Not interested" is the most-cited barrier to enrolling in education or training (42% West Midlands, 35% Birmingham), ahead of cost and time constraints.
- 58% of West Midlands adults who would consider returning to education want it part-time, against 31% in Birmingham, where 54% would consider either format.
Yes, more than half would, but the policy built to help them get there is barely known. A representative Survation poll of 1,033 adults aged 18 to 55 across the West Midlands, commissioned by BMet and fielded in January 2023, found that 57% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults not currently in education would consider going back to education or training. Fewer than one in five in either area have any real awareness of the government's Lifelong Loan Entitlement, the specific offer designed to fund exactly that.
The numbers
- 57% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults not currently in education would consider returning to it.
- 70% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults have never heard of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, the scheme meant to fund that return.
- Among those who have heard of it, 39% of Birmingham respondents could not say what it is for, against 8% in the West Midlands.
- "Not interested" is the most-cited barrier to enrolling, 42% in the West Midlands and 35% in Birmingham, ahead of cost (37%/36%) and time (34%/31%).
- Two-thirds of employed adults, 66% in the West Midlands and 59% in Birmingham, say they are not in their dream job.
Who is still learning, and when did the rest stop
Around three-quarters of adults surveyed have already left formal education: 74% in the West Midlands, 73% in Birmingham. Most left young. 92% of West Midlands leavers and 93% of Birmingham leavers were out of formal education by age 24, and fewer than one in ten left after that.
| Age left formal education | West Midlands | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| 10 to 16 | 32% | 29% |
| 17 to 18 | 27% | 26% |
| 18 to 24 | 33% | 38% |
| 25 to 30 | 6% | 5% |
| Over 30 | 2% | 2% |
Base: respondents not currently in education. Unweighted total 727. Source: Survation for BMet, January 2023.
What people believe the age rules actually are
Belief about formal education is broadly correct. 43% of West Midlands adults and 38% of Birmingham adults say there is no upper age limit on attending university or college, which is true. Work-related training is where the two areas diverge sharply. West Midlands respondents carry the same belief across into training, with 43% again saying there is no limit. Only 6% of Birmingham respondents say the same, and 39% simply do not know, nearly five times the West Midlands "don't know" rate of 8%.
| Belief about upper age limit | WM, formal education | Bham, formal education | WM, work training | Bham, work training |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No upper age limit | 43% | 38% | 43% | 6% |
| Don't know | 5% | 5% | 8% | 39% |
Base: all respondents. Unweighted total 1,025. Source: Survation for BMet, January 2023.
Would they actually go back
Two in three employed adults are not in their dream job (66% West Midlands, 59% Birmingham), and a majority not currently in education would consider returning (57% West Midlands, 60% Birmingham). The two areas want it delivered differently. 58% of interested West Midlands respondents want part-time provision specifically, while Birmingham splits more evenly, with the largest single group (54%) open to either format.
| Would consider part-time or full-time | West Midlands | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time | 58% | 31% |
| Would consider both | 27% | 54% |
| Full-time | 13% | 14% |
Base: respondents who would consider education. Unweighted total 461. Source: Survation for BMet, January 2023.
What is stopping them
"Not interested" is the single most-cited barrier in both areas, ahead of cost. That sits awkwardly next to the age-limit findings above, where most respondents believe there is effectively no ceiling on learning. The more likely reading is that this population has not rejected education outright. It has not been given a specific, relevant reason to reconsider it. Cost and time together account for 71% of West Midlands barrier responses and 67% of Birmingham's, the practical constraints once someone does want to enrol.
| Barrier to enrolling (select all that apply) | West Midlands | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Not interested in education or training | 42% | 35% |
| Cost / price constraints | 37% | 36% |
| Time constraints | 34% | 31% |
| Don't think it would help their career | 24% | 28% |
| Already have the training/qualifications needed | 23% | 24% |
Base: respondents who would not consider education. Unweighted total 216. Source: Survation for BMet, January 2023.
The Lifelong Loan Entitlement blind spot
This is the survey's sharpest finding. 70% of West Midlands respondents and 60% of Birmingham respondents have never heard of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement at all. Among the minority who have, understanding is thin, and in Birmingham it is markedly worse. Only 46% in either area correctly identify what the entitlement pays for (a loan equivalent to four years of post-18 education, usable over a lifetime), and over a third in both areas (35% West Midlands, 37% Birmingham) confuse it with a loan to help buy a home.
| Awareness of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement | West Midlands | Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly aware | 14% | 18% |
| Somewhat aware | 16% | 22% |
| Not aware | 70% | 60% |
Base: all respondents. Unweighted total 1,025. Source: Survation for BMet, January 2023.
What this means
Taken together, these findings describe an appetite for adult learning that is running well ahead of the system built to serve it. This is not a demand problem. It is a visibility problem. The Lifelong Loan Entitlement exists to fund exactly the kind of return-to-learning this survey shows a majority of West Midlands and Birmingham adults are open to, and it simply is not reaching them, or is not landing clearly when it does.
Birmingham's numbers make the case most starkly. Adults there are somewhat more likely than West Midlands adults to have heard of the entitlement (40% aware versus 30%), but far less likely to know what it is for once they have. That gap between awareness and understanding is the clearest opening in the whole dataset, for colleges, employers and local government to close with plain, local explanation of what the offer actually buys, rather than assuming that awareness alone will convert into enrolment.
The format preference split also carries a practical implication for providers. A single course format pitched at "the West Midlands learner" will under-serve one of these two audiences. West Midlands adults who would consider returning want it delivered part-time by a clear majority. Birmingham adults are far more open to either format, and a provider assuming the West Midlands pattern applies everywhere in the region will misjudge Birmingham demand.
Methodology
Fieldwork was conducted by Survation on behalf of BMet, a trio of Birmingham further education colleges (James Watt College, Matthew Boulton College and Sutton Coldfield College), between 20 and 26 January 2023. The population sampled was adults aged 18 to 55 in the West Midlands, with a Birmingham-specific subsample, total sample size 1,033. All figures cited are the unweighted survey percentages as originally published by Survation. Bases vary by question and are stated with each table above, since several questions were only asked of respondents who met a prior condition (for example, only those not currently in education were asked at what age they left).
What this does not show. This is an attitudes and awareness survey, not a measure of actual enrolment or completion. It cannot say how many of the adults who say they would consider returning to education go on to do so, or what happens to those who start a course. The Birmingham sample is smaller than the West Midlands-wide sample, so single-percentage-point differences between the two areas should be read as indicative rather than precise. The analysis and commentary in this article are Bridgehead's own, added for this edition, and are not part of the original Survation dataset.
Cite this analysis
Survation for BMet, Attitudes Towards Adult Education in the West Midlands and Birmingham, January 2023, with analysis by Bridgehead Communications, September 2026.
Sources and method
- Attitudes Towards Adult Education in the West Midlands and Birmingham, Survation, for BMet (January 2023)
- BMet, BMet (James Watt College, Matthew Boulton College and Sutton Coldfield College)
Related questions
Would West Midlands adults go back to education or training?
Yes. 57% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults not currently in education say they would consider returning to education or training, according to a Survation poll of 1,033 adults commissioned by BMet in January 2023.
What is the Lifelong Loan Entitlement?
The Lifelong Loan Entitlement is a UK government offer giving individuals a loan equivalent to four years of post-18 education, to be used over their lifetime from 2025. Among West Midlands and Birmingham adults aware of it, only 46% in either area correctly identify what it is for.
How many adults in the West Midlands have heard of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement?
Just 30% of West Midlands adults and 40% of Birmingham adults report any awareness, strongly or somewhat, of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement. 70% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham adults have never heard of it.
What stops adults from returning to education or training?
"Not interested" is the most commonly cited barrier (42% West Midlands, 35% Birmingham), ahead of cost (37%/36%) and time constraints (34%/31%), among adults who say they would not consider returning to education.
Do West Midlands adults prefer part-time or full-time education?
Most prefer part-time. Among adults who would consider returning, 58% of West Midlands respondents want part-time study specifically, while Birmingham respondents split more evenly, with 54% open to either format.
