THERE has been a lot of talk recently about NEETs — young people not in employment, education or training.

It is an important issue and the rise in numbers is worrying. I welcome the government’s investment in technical skills because young people deserve every chance to build secure futures. However, focusing solely on NEETs risks missing a wider truth. Skills gaps don’t begin and end at 18. Here in Cornwall, adult education is quietly transforming lives, yet it rarely receives the attention or investment it deserves.

As a Liberal Democrat town councillor for Liskeard, I’ve always believed in opportunity at every stage of life. Our party has long championed lifelong learning, fairness and giving people second chances. My own experience shows why this matters and why adult education must sit alongside youth skills as part of any serious national strategy.

At school, I was told not to apply for A-levels because they did not think I would get the grades. It was a discouraging message reflecting an attitude far too common at the time. I actually came out with 1 A, 2 Bs and 5 Cs. Young people were often judged on narrow expectations, and those judgements could shape the rest of their lives. Many adults in Cornwall still live with the consequences of being underestimated or overlooked in their school years.

In 2017, I had to give up my job because of my son’s care needs. It was a challenging period, but also made me ask how I could make the best use of myself. Cornwall Adult Education offered a lifeline. I took two bookkeeping qualifications and then an Access course that enabled me to go to university and study business management. These courses did more than give me skills. They gave me confidence, independence and a route back into contributing fully to my community.

The bookkeeping qualifications also opened a door I never expected. They enabled me to become the treasurer of Read Easy Cornwall, the adult literacy charity. In that role, I see the impact of adult education from a different angle. Behind every learner is a story. Someone who slipped through the education system decades ago. Someone who has carried the weight of missed learning into adulthood. Many are talented, capable and eager to work, but without literacy they’re locked out of jobs, training and everyday independence.

Investment in NEETs is vital, but we cannot build a thriving economy if we ignore adults who were once NEETs themselves and still need support. Adult education changes families, strengthens communities and gives people a second chance at the futures they thought they had lost. It also strengthens local organisations and charities because people who gain skills often give back.

My passion for helping adults to learn comes from my own late learning. I have seen firsthand what happens when you give someone the tools they were denied the first time around. They do not just rebuild confidence; they rebuild their future. That belief in opportunity, fairness and community is exactly what motivates me in my work for Liskeard.