MD2922 Skills Roadmap for London

1.1 By letter dated 6 December 2018, the Secretary of State delegated certain functions relating to London’s Adult Education Budget (AEB) to the Mayor.

1.2 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.

1.3 Following a successful transition period and year of delegated AEB delivery, the GLA is now in a position to set a longer-term plan for adult education in London. The Roadmap will build on the learning from AEB delegation and delivery to plot the direction of adult education in London for the Mayoral term and beyond. This includes setting out policy intent for changes to the AEB for the 2022-23 academic year and subsequent years.

1.4 It is proposed that the Roadmap will be published in January 2022 and is planned to coincide with the launch of a ‘Jobs and Skills’ campaign, which will promote adult learning opportunities including those funded by the AEB, as well as jobs in sectors key to London’s recovery.

1.5 The Mayor approved the draft Roadmap for public and stakeholder consultation (MD2820). It was published on 21 June 2021, and the consultation ran for seven weeks, closing on 8 August 2021. The consultation and public and stakeholder engagement programme was devised and implemented to ensure that stakeholders and the public were provided with sufficient information to facilitate meaningful and constructive feedback. The Roadmap, previously called the Adult Education Roadmap, has been developed further in response to the consultation and engagement with key stakeholders and Londoners, as well as a suite of commissioned research and data analysis.

1.6 The engagement and consultation involved over 100 organisations across the FE sector, businesses, civil society and London’s communities. It also included direct engagement with almost 1000 Londoners belonging to key target groups most in need of adult education. The methodology for the consultation involved:

• written consultation, via an online survey available on the GLA website, for all stakeholders to respond to

• targeted in-person roundtables and workshops with employers and businesses, and with skills provider forums and local government

• direct engagement of Londoners through ‘Community Conversations’ hosted by Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) groups and community-based organisations.

1.7 A Consultation Responses Report summarising the methodology and results from the public consultation is attached at Appendix B. The GLA commissioned Cooper Gibson, a research and development consultancy working with education, skills, training employment and public service improvement, to compile this report. Chapter 14 of Appendix B report provides a brief summary of common messages across the consultation activity. Officers consider that, through the consultation and engagement exercise identified above, the GLA has consulted with such bodies and persons as is appropriate prior to the production and approval of the Roadmap.

Final intended text

1.8 The preparation of the final Roadmap (Appendix A) document has taken into account the comments received from stakeholders and the public through the consultation, summarised in the Consultation Responses Report (Appendix B).

1.9 The key material changes to the Roadmap that have been made in response to the consultation findings and research are:

• Setting out a clearer focus and stronger support offer to engage businesses in London’s adult education offer. Following feedback from employers and providers, section 2 of the Roadmap has been reframed to explicitly set out the Mayor’s commitment to boosting collaboration between businesses and skills providers. A clear commitment has also been added to develop a programme of support to help providers work with employers.

• Additional actions throughout the Roadmap to publish provider delivery plans, the London Learner Survey and other relevant labour market information and data that can support improved skills planning in London. This responds to consultation feedback from stakeholders who indicated that transparent and open publication of this information and data would support partnership work and the development of industry relevant training.

• Additional commitment in section 6 of the Roadmap to improve strategic coordination of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision in London. Consultation feedback identified this as a gap in the draft Roadmap, particularly how the AEB aligns with other ESOL provision in London and supports social integration. This additional commitment also responds to new policy from the Mayor to improve coordination of ESOL provision across the City.

• Setting out in more detail plans on marketing adult education and community outreach. Marketing and communication of London’s adult education offer was identified as a key role for the Mayor by stakeholders during the consultation process. Section 6 of the Roadmap now includes additional details on a planned marketing campaign, annual learner awards and a grants programme for small community organisations to provide outreach to and target those most in need of adult education.

• An additional section on skills providers as anchor institutions in their communities, including expectations around supporting net-zero carbon targets, workforce diversity and good work. Section 7 of the Roadmap has been updated to emphasise the contribution skills providers make to the communities they serve, and to more explicitly set out the Mayor’s expectations of providers in London to be ‘Good Employers’ that are representative of the communities they serve. An additional commitment has been added to this section for City Hall to establish a baseline of the adult education workforce in London, in response to consultation feedback and stakeholder engagement which identified a need for better quality data. In response to the Mayor’s ambition of London reaching net zero-carbon by 2030, an expectation has also been added for providers to set out their plans for achieving net zero carbon estates by 2030. A commitment has been added for City Hall to provide guidance on this.

Corporate governance – decision making

1.10 In line with the GLA’s approved AEB Decision-Making arrangements, the decisions set out in this MD were endorsed by the AEB Mayoral Board on 30 November 2021, and there were no further recommendations. In line with those arrangements, further decisions relating to the Roadmap that fall within the scope of this MD can be made by the Mayor at future AEB Mayoral Board meetings, in line with the provisions set out in MD2736 – Changes to AEB Decision Making. Minor changes to the Roadmap that are factual and in line with national policy or decisions already considered by the Mayor may be made by the Assistant Director – Skills & Employment to ensure it remains up to date and will be reported back to the AEB Mayoral Board for noting.

1.11 Any changes proposed to the AEB Funding Rules in order to deliver the ambitions set out in the Roadmap will be brought forward through the established governance process for the AEB, including consideration at the AEB Mayoral Board, and a further MD form where required.

1.12 If they arise, any further decisions that fall within the scope of this MD form will be made by the Mayor at the appropriate AEB Mayoral Board meeting(s). Any decisions made in this way will be recorded appropriately and reported back to the Corporate Investment Board for noting. If any decision is considered novel, contentious or repercussive, or where the AEB Mayoral Board requires amendments to any recommendations, the decision would be automatically taken forward through an MD form and submitted through the usual processes.

2.1 The Roadmap sets out the overarching ambition for skills and adult education in the capital, delivered through three pillars (locally relevant skills, making an impact, and access to skills). It sets out key commitments and activity City Hall (references to which mean the Mayor of London/Greater London Authority) will undertake to deliver the aims of each pillar.

2.2 Pillar 1 (locally relevant skills) aims to provide a more joined up skills and employment offer which meets the needs of Londoners and the local economy, including businesses and employers.

2.3 Pillar 2 (making an impact) aims to ensure the learning we fund transforms people’s lives, leading to positive economic and social outcomes. The GLA will build on the findings of the London Learner Survey to ensure that adult education is focussed on delivering against priority impact areas and is aligned with the London Recovery Programme.

2.4 Pillar 3 (accessible skills) aims to ensure Londoners who are most in need are prioritised to access AEB provision and other skills and employment support.

2.5 The detail of the commitments under each pillar can be found in the full Roadmap attached at Appendix A.

3.1 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

• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

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

3.3 The Mayor’s Skills for Londoners Strategy sets out current disparities in employment and skills levels among different groups of Londoners. Young people, disabled people, Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and women are all under-represented in the labour market, especially in higher-skilled, better-paid jobs. The GLA’s understanding of labour market disadvantage, including throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, has been enhanced by regular labour market data updates and specific analysis of participation in AEB-funded learning by key demographic groups.

3.4 The actions set out in the Skills Roadmap for London aim to address identified inequalities in employment and skill levels. The Roadmap also commits to taking a dynamic approach to identifying and targeting those most in need of adult education, bringing together insight from data, annual community conversations, peer-led research and other community engagement on an ongoing basis.

3.5 An Equality Impact Assessment (Appendix C) has been prepared summarising how impacts on people in equality groups, i.e. Londoners who share protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 or are part of other disadvantaged groups, have been considered in the development of the Roadmap. As is set out in the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA), equality groups were involved, and equality impacts were considered, from start to finish during the year long process to develop the Roadmap. Through the consultation process, an understanding was built of the barriers and inequalities experienced by those with protected characteristics. Interventions were designed to address those barriers and inequalities which were then refined based on feedback from communities and stakeholders.

3.6 Section 2.1 of the EqIA sets out how equality groups and community organisations were consulted during the early engagement phase of the consultation process, and section 2.2 details how equality groups were engaged in the public consultation on the draft Roadmap document. This included a series of ‘Community Conversations’ to hear directly from Londoners from key equality groups and a roundtable with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities practitioners. The barriers and inequalities faced by equality groups identified by this consultation process are set out in section 3 of the EqIA. Finally, section 4 of the EqIA summarises the impact the actions in the Roadmap will have on equality groups.

Links to Mayoral strategies

4.1 The Skills Roadmap for London 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

• deliver a strategic city-wide technical skills and adult education offer.

Risks arising/mitigation

4.2 There is a risk that naming the Roadmap the ‘Skills Roadmap’ rather than the ‘Adult Education Roadmap’ could be seen by community learning providers as a backward step away from the wider social and community benefits of learning. This has been mitigated by including a strapline under the Roadmap title that highlights the well-being and social impact of skills. The importance of the social impact of learning, and City Hall’s commitment to helping Londoners benefit from this, is made clear throughout the document. It should also be noted that ‘Skills Roadmap’ is preferred as a title because the consultation results indicated that the term ‘adult education’ is not well understood by Londoners, businesses and other partners not directly involved in skills delivery.

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

5.1 This decision approves content and plans for publication of the Skills Roadmap for London.

5.2 There are no direct financial implications to the GLA arising from the recommendations set out in this report.

6.1 In preparation for the delegation of adult education functions from the Secretary of State to the Mayor of London, the Mayor established the AEB Mayoral Board and approved its Constitution in July 2018, under MD2328. Upon being satisfied as to these arrangements, certain AEB functions and funding were delegated by the Secretary of State for Education to the Mayor of London under Section 39A of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (GLA Act) from 1 August 2019, by letter (“the Letter”) dated 6 December 2018. The Mayor is not permitted to delegate the discharge of these functions and must discharge them personally (section 39A (6) of the GLA Act). The terms and conditions of the delegation are contained in the Letter. In exercising the delegated functions, the Mayor must have regard to the statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State, as amended from time to time. The Mayor has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of State for Education, dated January 2019, entitled “Delegation of Certain Adult Education Functions to the Greater London Authority,” which sets out the agreed understanding of how the delegation will operate.

6.2 MD2736 amended the Mayoral decision-making process (the AEB Assurance Framework, the AEB Constitution and the amended Mayoral Decision Making process) to provide that certain decisions can be made by the Mayor at the AEB Mayoral Board without having to proceed through the MD process, and paragraph 1.10 sets out that process.

6.3 Public bodies must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty as set out in section 3. Section 3 of this report sets out the obligation on the Mayor to continue to have due regard to his equalities duties when making decisions, and the factors he will need to consider in order to discharge his duty with regards this proposal.

6.4 The recommendation to the Mayor is to approve the Roadmap, after having taken into account the consultation responses received, the amendments made as a result of that consultation, and the Equality Impact Assessment.

6.5 To the extent that any activities undertaken by the GLA further to the Roadmap fall outside the AEB powers and budget delegated to it under section 39A of the GLA Act (non-AEB activities), those activities must fall within the GLA’s general powers under section 30 of the GLA Act and be funded without recourse to the AEB. Section 30(1) of the GLA Act empowers the GLA to do anything which it considers will further any one or more of its principal purposes of promoting economic development and wealth creation in Greater London; promoting social development in Greater London; and promoting the improvement of the environment in Greater London. The GLA must not use its general power to incur expenditure in providing any education services, social services of health services that may be provided by London boroughs and any other public body, unless this is to co-operate with, facilitate or co-ordinate the activities of those bodies – section 31(3) and (6) of the GLA Act. Officers consider that non-AEB activities proposed within the Roadmap are likely to further one or more of the GLA’s principal purposes. Officers consider that such non-AEB activities will not be captured or therefore prohibited by virtue of the restriction in section 31(3) of the GLA Act.

• Appendix A – Skills Roadmap for London

• Appendix B – Roadmap consultation report

• Appendix C – Equality Impact Assessment