A t the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), we have spent a lot time and effort publicising our general election manifesto, launched during Adult Learners’ Week last June, with strong support from local government.

In it we argue for better access to the learning and skills system, improved outcomes for disadvantaged learners, and a clearer route for individuals and employers to prosper, making important proposals to ‘de-clog’ a system that frequently mystifies policy-makers and political decision-makers, let alone its many millions of customers.

Central to this system reform is the lack of dialogue between the learning and skills and employment/benefits systems. Much has been said about the need for improved dialogue between the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Department of Work and Pensions (it was a headline call in our manifesto), but translating manifesto exhortations into practice can be a tricky business.