I WAS fortunate that my parents valued a good education and so ensured that we took our schooling seriously.

Although I was no model student, I did enough to qualify for university. But I’m grateful that my parents kept pushing me to educate myself. It was so much easier to be a student 40 years ago than it is today. It was the last Labour Government whose three driving mantras were ‘education, education, education’!

It is this Labour government that has recognised that skills will power our Plan for Change. So we’re changing the way student finance works, making it more flexible so that people can upskill and retrain over a longer period – ending the ‘three years or nothing’ system.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement will help working people balance busy lives – jobs, childcare – with their ambition to learn more, boost their prospects and expand their horizons. The government is investing in skills and refocusing the system towards domestic talent.

The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has set a bold target of getting two thirds of young people into higher level training, a gold standard apprenticeship or a degree by age 25. This Labour Government has broken with years of failed austerity and inactive government.

On May 14, we published the list of the first 130 universities and colleges across England approved to deliver modules – small units of study - under the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). This marks a vital step towards launching the LLE from January - a major reform to post-18 education designed to give adults greater flexibility to upskill for existing jobs and retrain to move jobs across their working lives while being able to balance other commitments such as work or childcare.

The LLE formed part of the Post-16 Education White Paper and is being rolled out in phases, with applications opening for students in September and the first courses and modules starting from January. The LLE will give people access to funding, equivalent to four years of post-18 education which can be used flexibly over their working lives. It will support mature students, as well as school leavers and full-time students.

The new modules will initially focus on subjects linked to priority sectors, including economics and computing, engineering and architecture, as well as health and social care, helping to drive economic growth and address skills gaps.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “Financial support should be available whether you want to do a degree, take a short course, or retrain later in life. Our changes will make that happen, with the option to access student finance in any stage of life. Whether it’s fitting study around a job, retraining for a completely new career, juggling childcare, or getting qualifications later in life, the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement will open up new opportunities for thousands more people to build the careers they want and get on in life.”

Education has always been at the heart of Labour governments. This one has recognised the importance of retraining and upskilling adults for the challenges of 21st century Britain.