In adult education, age discrimination kicks in early - at just 25, a new study claims. Older victims of the recession struggling to get back into work would no doubt scoff at the suggestion that age discrimination poses any problems for people in their 20s. But it is being argued that there is one sphere in which turning 25 puts you at a serious disadvantage. "Educationally, ageism begins at 25," says Professor John Field, co-director of the centre for research in lifelong learning at Stirling University. Despite the increasing recognition that adult learning improves people's general wellbeing and mental state, for too many adults the choice of education is largely restricted to narrow skills-for-work programmes. Policies such as the New Deal prioritise the under-25s and most public education spending is focused on the same group.
The Guardian