MD2694 Skills for Londoners Framework consultation report – 2021/22

From 1 August 2019, the Mayor was delegated responsibility from the Secretary of State for Education for the commissioning, delivery and management of London’s Adult Education Budget (AEB) from the 2019/20 academic year.

The AEB covers skills provision for learners aged 19+ including Adult and Community Learning. It is delivered by a range of different provider types including general Further Education (FE) colleges, local authorities, independent training providers, sixth form colleges and universities.

The Skills for Londoners Framework outlines how the Mayor will support the delivery of the objectives of the Skills for Londoners Strategy. The Framework has formed the basis for two consultations on potential changes to the AEB.

A third Framework consultation was published on 20 February 2020. It put questions to stakeholders on key policy areas related to the AEB, as well as other skills and employment priorities in the capital. The consultation ran for over ten weeks after the original deadline was extended due to COVID-19. The consultation received 28 valid responses from a range of AEB providers, as well as from other key stakeholders.

The consultation was carried out using an online survey software tool which was published as a link on the GLA website. CooperGibson, a research consultancy, was commissioned to log, collate, and analyse the written responses to the consultation and produce a summary report, which is attached as Appendix A to this MD.

The consultation posed 13 questions:

• questions 1 to 6 related to the reporting and funding arrangements of the AEB;
• questions 7 to 9 focused on emerging areas of interest that the AEB could be used to support; and
• questions 10 to 13 identified other skills and employment policy priorities.

Respondents also had the opportunity to provide further comments or questions related to adult and further education and training in London, and to identify any potential impacts the identified priorities for change in the consultation might have on people with protected characteristics.

The AEB Mayoral Board considered this decision at its meeting on 30 September 2020.

The final consultation report attached provides a detailed summary of the responses to each section of questions, and a response from the GLA identifying where any action has been taken and signalling next steps.

Unlike in previous years, this consultation did not identify potential policy changes for the academic year 2021/22, and instead focused on priority areas for the AEB over the medium to long-term. As such, no specific policy changes have been made as result of this consultation.

The consultation report will instead supplement the existing evidence base that will be used to develop the Mayor’s long-term vision for the AEB and skills and employment policy in the capital.

The report will be published on the GLA website following approval.

Section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities – of whom the Mayor is one – must have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010;
• advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and
• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

Relevant protected characteristics are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

The Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Strategy sets out current disparities in employment and skills levels among different groups of Londoners. Young people, disabled adults, black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and women are all disproportionately under-represented in the labour market, especially in higher-skilled, better-paid jobs. City Hall is actively considering how the Mayor’s control over the AEB can help reduce some of these gaps, as identified in the attached consultation report.

Any policy changes proposed as a result of this consultation will be assessed for their equality and diversity impact prior to a final decision and implementation.

Links to Mayoral strategies

The consultation is part of the implementation of the commitments made in the Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Strategy, to:

• empower all Londoners to access the education and skills to participate in society and progress in education and work;
• meet the needs of London’s economy and employers, now and in the future; and
• deliver a strategic city-wide technical skills and adult education offer.

Risks arising/mitigation

The principal risk associated with the publication of the SfL Framework consultation report is that it is not representative of the GLA’s AEB provider base due to the low number of responses, particularly from FE colleges. However, the Association of Colleges—the representative body for London’s FE colleges—did submit a response, and the GLA continues to engage regularly with AEB providers to understand and discuss many of issues raised in the report, as well as providing support and guidance in managing the impact of COVID-19.

Other

There are no conflicts of interest to declare from those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision.

There are no direct financial implications arising from the publication of the report.

Section 39A of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 permits the delegation of ministerial functions to the Mayor, subject to certain limitations and conditions. This forms the basis for the proposed delegation of AEB functions from the Secretary of State for Education to the Mayor. A particular and onerous limitation of a delegation under s39A is that the usual power of delegation by the Mayor is not available in respect of s39A delegated functions.

In taking the decision requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

Should the Mayor be minded to make the decisions sought officers must:

- exercise care in incurring or committing to any expenditure in reliance on delegated AEB before the grant of the same has been made, including liaison with the Department for Education to ensure that the funding may be claimed in respect of expenditure proposed; and

- to the degree that reliance is to be placed upon access to and the use of ESF funding, liaise closely with the GLA’s European Programmes Management Unit to ensure that such use is ESF compliant.