A joint Minister for lifelong learning should be created between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education, according to a new report.

The Skills Commission report focuses on how skills provision can deliver for an ageing population and how employers can adapt their policies for the over 50s to encourage them to remain in work.

Lifelong Learning for an Ageing Workforce claims that a joint-Departmental Minister for lifelong learning would improve co-ordination and make it possible to assess the impact of retraining or up-skilling on the duration of a working life.

The report makes recommendations to learning providers, employers and government on how best to incentivise the uptake of training for older workers.  Proposals include on-going career reviews to encourage training in later life, and signposting learning loans for the over 50s.

The report comes at a time when the government is committed to exploring lifelong learning further as outlined in its Industrial Strategy and Spring budget earlier this year.