Adult Education: South Yorkshire

(asked on 16th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of access to (a) first steps and (b) community learning on disadvantaged adults in South Yorkshire; and what recent steps his Department has taken to support those people.


Answered by
Gillian Keegan Portrait
Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
This question was answered on 22nd March 2021

Community learning, funded through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and Adult Education Budget (AEB), provides a way of progressing to further learning, training or employment, particularly for disadvantaged learners.

The ESFA community learning objectives require providers to prioritise disadvantaged learners. It is an important stepping stone, particularly for these learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, learners with low basic skills, learners with mental health issues, and learners facing financial hardship.

Community learning is funded through the AEB which aims to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their community learning, to determine how best to meet their learners' needs.

Currently, approximately half of the AEB has been devolved to seven Combined Mayoral Authorities (CMAs) and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority (GLA). Devolution of the AEB gives CMAs and the GLA direct control over adult education provision for their residents and provides local areas the opportunity to better meet local needs. The ESFA is responsible for funding AEB learners resident in non-devolved areas including South Yorkshire currently.

Sheffield City Region is due to take on adult education functions from the 2021/22 academic year. We will continue to work with Sheffield City Region to support their preparations for devolution.

Reticulating Splines