Attitudes Towards
Adult Education
in the West Midlands

Q1 asked respondents about their current relationship with formal education. In the West Midlands, 20% are currently enrolled; the picture is slightly higher in Birmingham at 24%. The vast majority, over 73% in both areas, are not currently enrolled.

Q2 (base: not currently in education, n=727) shows most people left at 18–24 in both areas, and the skew is if anything sharper in Birmingham (38% left at 18–24, against 33% in the West Midlands). Over nine in ten leavers in both areas were out of formal education by age 24, and fewer than one in ten left after that.

Q3.1 (base: all, n=1025). A combined 43% of West Midlands respondents correctly understand there is no upper age limit for attending formal education in the UK. Birmingham sits slightly lower at 38%. Misperceptions about age caps, particularly those citing limits of 21–25, represent a significant communications opportunity.

Q3.2 (base: all, n=1025). This is where the two regions genuinely diverge. West Midlands respondents carry their formal-education belief straight across into training, with 43% again saying there is no upper limit. Only 6% of Birmingham respondents say the same, and 39% simply don't know, nearly five times the West Midlands "don't know" rate of 8%. Whatever is communicating "no age limit" for academic study in Birmingham is not reaching people on training and retraining.

Q3.3 (base: employed, n=833). Two-thirds of employed West Midlands residents say they are not in their dream job, a figure that falls to 59% in Birmingham. This latent career dissatisfaction is a powerful hook for skills retraining messaging: most people want a better career but have not yet acted.

Q4.1 (base: not in education, n=727). A majority in both regions would consider returning to education or training, 57% in the West Midlands and 60% in Birmingham. This latent demand represents a substantial addressable market for providers who can overcome the practical barriers respondents cite.

Q4.2 (base: would consider returning, n=461). 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. Full-time study attracts only a small minority in both areas.

Q5 (base: would not consider returning, n=216). Among those who would not return, disengagement is the single biggest factor, 42% in the West Midlands and 35% in Birmingham simply are not interested. Cost and time are the leading practical barriers; addressing them alone would not overcome the majority.

Q6.1 (base: all, n=1025). Awareness of the government's Lifelong Loan Entitlement Offer is critically low in both regions, 70% of West Midlands adults and 60% of Birmingham residents have never heard of it. The gap is even larger at Birmingham, where 18% say they are strongly aware vs 14% in the wider region.

Q6.2 (base: aware of LLE, n=333). Even among those who are aware of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, only 45–46% correctly identify it as a post-18 education loan. Over a third believe it is a home-buying scheme, and 17–20% think it covers energy bills. Mass confusion about the policy's purpose hampers take-up even among those who have heard of it.