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Concerns have been raised after a new study suggested part of the North East had seen the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s highest drop in the number of adults learning basic skills over the last decade.

The report by the Learning and Work Institute found that the number of people doing English training had fallen by 43% around the º£½ÇÊÓƵ while numbers doing maths had dropped by 42%.

But in the North of Tyne, those figures rose to 63% and 57%, highlighting problems caused by cuts to adult education budgets.

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Improved literacy and numeracy translate help people get back into employment or progress to better jobs, but many employers say staff lack the skills necessary for some jobs now available.

The North East has the º£½ÇÊÓƵ’s highest unemployment levels outside London, and the Learning and Work Institute found that online job adverts in the region had risen 65% since the pandemic compared to a national increase of 27%, suggesting many posts are going unfulfilled because of a lack of skilled applicants.

Stephen Evans, chief executive of Learning and Work Institute, said: “Literacy, numeracy and digital skills are vital for life and work. But one in five adults lack these skills and sharp falls in adult learning are holding back employers and people.

“To make levelling up a reality we urgently need a clear strategy to increase participation in learning, with national and local government working together so everyone has the skills they need for life and work.”