Future of an Ageing Population

300
Expenditure per head of population (£)
250
200
150
100
50
0
25-49 50-74 75+
Age (years)
Funding source:
Public expenditure
Private employer expenditure
Individual/community sector expenditure
Survey of 5,000 people aged 17+
Figure 3.4. Annual UK learning expenditure per head by age group, 2009 78 .
Part of the solution may be to redesign how people learn in later life.
Organisations such as the University of the Third Age and the Women’s Institute
engage groups who do not traditionally participate in adult education through
an informal model of knowledge sharing, while universities and colleges now
offer web resources such as free online courses. Inter-generational or family
learning can also be a very effective way of engaging adults who do not usually
participate in formal learning 80 .
Proportion of training paid (%)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50-54 55-64 65-74
Age group (years)
Funding proportion:
All the cost Some of the cost None of the cost
Survey of 421 working
learners aged 50+
Figure 3.5. Proportion of training paid for by employer, survey of British workers aged 50+, 2012 67 .
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