More adult learners will have the opportunity to access education and skills training in the upcoming academic year.
Following an extra £1.4 million investment from the Department for Education (DfE), our Cabinet has today (Wednesday 25 June) agreed to commission additional delivery of adult learning from external providers.
Devon’s adult education service, Learn Devon, currently supports around 6,000 learners, aged 19 and over, each year through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). The fund supports people to gain qualifications and skills that improve their employability and life opportunities.
Councillors explored a number of delivery options, but decided to commission delivery across a number of external providers through an open and compliant procurement process, supported by our procurement team.
This will build on existing delivery capability in the area which means the programme can start this August, and allow provision in different locations, communities, and qualification areas.
The increase in ASF funding enables local residents, including those on low incomes or with caring responsibilities, to access flexible, community-based learning. Courses funded through ASF are designed to align with local labour market needs, helping residents gain qualifications and skills that are in demand, and supporting progression into secure, higher-paid jobs or further learning.
For local businesses, it ensures the local workforce has up-to-date skills that match industry needs, especially in sectors with skill shortages such as health and social care, construction, and digital. This makes it easier for employers to recruit locally, and by investing in local talent, ASF funding reduces skills gaps and helps build a resilient economy that can respond to change, such as new technologies or market shifts.
Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs and Broadband, said:
“This extra funding from the DfE is very welcome and it’s a great opportunity to enable more adults in Devon and Torbay to access qualifications that improve individual employability, support economic recovery, and address local skills gaps. However, we need to mobilise quickly for the scale of delivery that’s needed for the upcoming academic year. It would be challenging to increase the capacity of Learn Devon so quickly and at the end of the day we want the best solution for our adult learners, so it makes sense to launch an open procurement to commission the delivery to be provided by external providers.”
The additional funding, which will be managed through Learn Devon, is to support activity under the Adult Skills Fund and Free Courses for Jobs. These two national priority programmes support delivery of essential skills such as English, maths, and digital literacy; vocational qualifications aligned to local labour market needs; and community learning programmes which build confidence, wellbeing, and can progress to further education or employment.