A recent interview published by ELM Magazine features Alex Stevenson, Chair of the European Basic Skills Network, reflecting on England’s latest PIAAC results and warning that adults with low basic skills are still being left behind. The interview offers an important contribution to the wider European debate on how adult learning and education systems should respond to persistent inequalities in skills development.
In the interview, Alex argues that while England’s results may appear encouraging at first sight in international comparison, the picture becomes more concerning when looked at more closely. According to the article, progress since the previous PIAAC cycle has been concentrated mainly among higher-performing groups, while adults at the lower end of the skills distribution have seen little or no improvement.
This message strongly resonates with EBSN’s own priorities. Across Europe, headline improvements can easily mask the fact that many adults continue to face major challenges in literacy, numeracy and other essential skills. For EBSN, the key question is not only whether average scores improve, but whether adult learning policies are reaching those who need support the most.
The interview also underlines several issues that are highly relevant across Europe: the long-term underinvestment in adult learning, the risk of focusing policy attention primarily on younger learners, and the need for more targeted support for adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Alex stresses that adults with low skills need meaningful opportunities to adapt, upskill and reskill, and that short-term or narrow policy responses will not be enough.
These reflections connect directly with EBSN’s recent work around the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), including the joint EBSN–EAEA webinar on the role and potential of adult learning and education. That work has highlighted the importance of moving beyond headline findings towards stronger, more inclusive and more sustained policy responses that address structural inequalities in adult basic skills.
At a time when European countries are reassessing their skills systems in light of economic change, democratic pressures and social inclusion challenges, Alex Stevenson’s interview is a timely reminder that adults with low basic skills cannot remain at the margins of education policy. For EBSN, this is one of the central messages of the current PIAAC debate: progress must be judged not only by overall performance, but by whether it helps reduce inequality and expand opportunities for those who have benefited least so far.