Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of adult education funding in England is allocated to (a) small and medium-sized providers and (b) large national providers; whether her Department collects data on funding allocation by provider type; and what plans she has to improve the clarity of information of the distribution of adult education funding and the criteria used to allocate it.

We are investing in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). The ASF funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.

Approximately 68% of the ASF has been devolved to 13 authorities including the West Midlands Combined Authority which covers Aldridge and Brownhills. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and commissioning/allocation of the ASF to learning providers.

Seven additional authorities are expected to receive ASF funding from August this year growing the devolved portion to 75%. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we are giving those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas and their residents, including on identifying providers that will best meet local need.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the ASF in non-devolved areas. Learning providers do and will continue to have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their allocations to meet local needs and to support learners to achieve wider outcomes, such as improved health and wellbeing.

ASF allocations from DWP take into consideration the provider’s track record including historic delivery and performance data.

Allocations are not set based on provider type. The guidance covering how central government makes allocations is publicly available at: Adult education and skills funding: allocations guidance - GOV.UK. Transparency data is also published on provider allocation values Adult education and skills funding allocations - GOV.UK. We collect data based on provider types but this in relation to whether they are for example a further education college, local authority, or independent training provider rather than their size.

We use the annual Further Education Outcomes report to demonstrate value for money in three specific ways: tracking sustained destinations, analysing earnings progression, and evaluating Net Present Value (NPV), with these metrics providing a transparent framework Release home - Further education outcomes - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK