North Yorkshire Council’s adult learning service has won a national award for a programme that helps residents overcome the barriers keeping them out of learning and work. The service won the Healthier Futures Award at the Get the Nation Learning Awards 2026, presented at the Royal Society in London on 4 November.

What Life Chats do

The award recognised the service’s Life Chat programme, which offers one-to-one conversations to help residents recognise their strengths and ambitions and work through the problems holding them back. The service works alongside health services, Talking Therapies, Jobcentre Plus and community organisations to support people facing poor mental health, social isolation and long-term economic inactivity.

The results so far

In its first five months, the programme reached 1,098 people. Of those, 166 progressed into learning and 169 began their journey back into employment. One learner has since secured a role as a business support officer with the council’s planning service. Life Chats are part of the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Work and Skills Interchange, supported by funding from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Get Britain Working Economic Inactivity Trailblazer.

The awards, organised by the Learning and Work Institute, named 12 winners this year, including historian Dame Mary Beard as lifelong learning ambassador. North Yorkshire’s adult learning service was rated good across the board by Ofsted inspectors last year, with outstanding elements for behaviour and attitudes and for its apprenticeships. Sources: North Yorkshire Council and FE Week.