Adult Education, Localism and
Me
Funding for Adult Learning
Biggest Train Set in the World…
(Government likes to play and rearrange!)
Since early 1980s
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28 major pieces of legislation related to vocational, FE and skills training
6 different ministerial departments with overall responsibility for education
48 secretaries of state with relevant responsibilities
No organisation set up by Government in FE has survived longer than a decade.
‘All Change’ - Institute for Government March 2017
Funding – Who can access it?
• Direct – funded providers
• Colleges, local authorities, External Institutions – grant
• Commercial companies, third sector providers, employers – contract
• Subcontractors
• Main contractor passes on % of funding (usually retains a %)
• All liability rests to ESFA and OfSTed remains with main contractor
• Majority route for third sector organisations
Joining the party
• Pre-qualifying
• Training Organisation Register
• Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers
• Compulsory for subcontractors of Apprenticeships and others with >£100k
contract
• Competitive Procurement for non-grant funding
Main funding streams
• Apprenticeships
• Apprenticeship levy
• Non-levy apprenticeship funding
• Advanced Learning Loans
• Adult Education Budget
Adult Education Budget
• ‘Engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need for work’
• Includes flexible programmes (including non-qualification) based to
help hard-to-reach learners to:
• Engage in learning
• Build confidence
• Enhance their well-being
• Has absorbed former Adult & Community Learning funding
Summary of funding eligibility for individual learners:
Provision
19-23 yr olds
24+ unemployed
24+ Other
English & Maths up to and
including level 2
Fully funded
Fully funded
Fully funded
Level 2
Fully funded
Fully funded
Co-funded
Learning to progress to
Level 2
Fully funded
Fully funded
Co-funded
Level 3
Fully funded (first & full)
Loan funded
Loan funded
Loan funded if already have
level 3 or higher
Levels 4, 5 & 6
Loan funded
Loan funded
Traineeship
Fully funded
English for Speakers of
Other languages
Co-funded (Fully funded if
unemployed)
Up to level 2 when learner
has already achieved at
level 2
Co-funded (Fully funded if
unemployed)
Fully funded
Co-funded
Apprenticeships
Funded by employer/ESFA
N/A
Funded by employer/ESFA
Fully funded
N/A
Co-funded
Tory Manifesto
Localism in the Manifesto
• “We are determined to move many of the functions of central
government out to cities around Britain where possible... we will
support local growth through combined authorities, mayoralties and
local enterprise partnerships. We will make each partnership and
combined authority responsible for co-ordinating their own local
industrial strategy in alignment with our national industrial strategy,
bringing together local businesses, political and public sector leaders
to drive growth and economic regeneration.”
• “We will give local enterprise partnerships greater weight by
backing them in law.”
• “To ensure that further, technical and higher education institutions are treated
fairly, we will also launch a major review of funding across tertiary education as a
whole, looking at how we can ensure that students get access to financial support
that offers value for money, is available across different routes and encourages
the development of the skills we need as a country.”
• “We will deal with local skills shortages and ensure that colleges deliver the skills
required by local businesses through Skills Advisory Panels and Local Enterprise
Partnerships working at a regional and local level.”
• “We will allow large firms to pass levy funds to small firms in their supply chain,
and work with the business community to develop a new programme to allow
larger firms to place apprentices in their supply chains.”
• “We will help all workers seeking to develop their skills in their existing
jobs by introducing a new right to request leave for training for all
employees. Alongside this, we will help workers to stay in secure jobs
as the economy changes by introducing a national retraining scheme.
Under the scheme, the costs of training will be met by the
government, with companies able to gain access to the
Apprenticeship Levy to support wage costs during the training period.”
• “We will equip people with the digital skills they need now, and in the
future, by introducing a right to lifelong learning in digital skills, just
as we have done for literacy and numeracy.”
Localism
Background
Driving Growth by devolving power and influence locally
• Combined Authorities & Devolved Powers
• Local Enterprise Partnerships
• Impact of Heseltine report ‘No stone unturned’
Devolution deals
For completeness –other devolved funds
• City Deals
• European Funding
• Regional Growth Funds
• Apprenticeship Grants for Employers
• FE Capital Expenditure
Localism and skills – influence
• ‘Providers must respond to the priorities set by local commissioners
and other stakeholders – eg local enterprise partnerships and
combined authorities’
• Employment & Skills boards and similar – encouraging shared agenda
• Shifting emphasis from supply to demand – e.g. Sheffield Skills Bank
• Area Review Process
Devolving of funding
• Combined Authorities from August 2018 or later
• Only Adult Education Budget being devolved
• Tension between central prescription and local ambitions
• Different position of grant and contract providers
• No plans to devolve outside of CAs at present
Local Enterprise Partnerships
• Mixture of private sector and public bodies
• LEPs influence over skills reinforced by Heseltine report
• Given control over European Funding, College Capital and a top-slice
from the Adult Skills Budget
• Role in Devolved Authorities less clear-cut
• No public plans to devolve control of AEB to LEPs outside of CA areas
Local Examples
• Sheffield City Region
• Control of AEB from 2018
• Set aims for Sheffield City Region
• Sheffield Skills Bank – aiming at being demand driven
• Liverpool
• Control of AEB from 2018
• Skills for Growth – reports on sector priorities
• Apprenticeship Hub
Leeds
• Devolution Agreement not yet in place
• Leeds LEP has a ‘third sector’ member:
• Stephanie Burras - Founder and Chief Executive, Ahead Partnership
• Stephanie is also Chair of Employment and Skills Panel
• ”This panel brings employers together with local authorities and skills
providers. They oversee projects to address skills gaps in the city
region's key industry sectors, and create local leadership that drives
improvements in skills and employment. Their work is driven by the
needs of employers and the region's economy.”
Leeds LEP Plan Framework
Contact us
[email protected]
www.tsnla.org.uk