Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department is making available to independent adult education training providers not in receipt of funding from the Adult Education Budget and who are meeting increased learner demand.

The department currently has an open opportunity on the government’s Contract Finder for the procurement of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) contract for service. The opportunity was published on 5 February 2021 and the deadline for the receipt of the completed tenders is 10:00 on 22 March 2021. For more details are published here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/fb94e7c6-b8be-4e89-b938-0058e3fca3dd?origin=SearchResults&p=1.

The adult education budget procurement will award ESFA funded AEB contracts for services for the delivery of adult education and training to learners in England that are resident outside of the devolved areas. This is an open procedure, and any supplier may submit a tender.