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English universities remain unconvinced that a proposed switch to loans for lifelong learning will increase demand, as the country¡¯s skills minister insisted the previously delayed plan for the initiative is now on track.

Speaking at the Lifelong Learning 2025 conference in London, Jacqui Smith, minister for skills, confirmed the government will begin rolling out the new lifelong learning entitlement (LLE), a plan designed to encourage more modular study, from September 2026.

Under the new scheme, learners will be eligible for a tuition fee loan equivalent to four years post-18 education to use over their working lives, with the first courses under the new system starting in January 2027.

¡°People will be able to take more control of their education, to learn, retrain or refresh their skills at a time of their choosing,¡± Smith said.

She urged institutions to use the LLE¡¯s new modular funding model to ¡°rethink how education can be delivered¡±.

¡°That means designing innovative and flexible courses in partnership with employers that open doors to mature learners, disadvantaged groups, and anyone who¡¯s felt barred from a system that wasn¡¯t built with them in mind.¡±

Smith said she was ¡°delighted¡± with the progress being made on the entitlement and said more details would be shared alongside the spending review later this year.

However, speaking in a later session at the conference, Claire Pike, pro vice-chancellor (education enhancement) at Anglia Ruskin University, said the institution wanted to see more market data on demand for these kinds of courses.

She said there were still questions about ¡°financial risk-taking¡± by individuals applying for these loans, predicting that those from higher socio-economic groups would be ¡°more comfortable¡± doing this than ¡°the socio-economic groups that the LLE is trying to target¡±.

David Phoenix, vice-chancellor at London South Bank University, which previously took part in a short course trial facilitated by the Office for Students, said there was limited interest from students in paying for the sorts of modules linked to the LLE.

And Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said ¡°large parts of the university sector¡± have ¡°basically ignored¡± the LLE ¨C in particular more traditional research intensive universities.

¡°They think it¡¯s not really going to affect them and that¡¯s a pity,¡± he said.

Hillman added that he did not believe the scheme was ¡°in the bag¡±, despite the minister¡¯s comments. ¡°I think once the Treasury gets their hands on it, it may end up as a whole different beast.¡±

With the government also?expected to set out final plans for reforms to apprenticeship funding imminently, Smith ruled out cutting funding to level 6 apprenticeships ¨C after speculation by critics of the proposed changes.

¡°We will be restricting the levels of government support for level 7 apprenticeships,¡± she said.

¡°We¡¯ve been very clear and will be even clearer in the near future about the way in which we want to shift, frankly, some of the funding that is currently supporting level 7 apprenticeships to respond to the challenge that we¡¯ve seen of falling numbers of young people starting apprenticeships.¡±

However, she added, it is ¡°not true¡± that the government also has level 6 apprenticeships in its sights, describing these as a ¡°different kettle of fish¡±.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com