Agenda item

Purpose of report:

The Select Committee to understand the role of adult and community education, including in respect of COVID-19 recovery, the available provision and how it is funded and delivered, and the challenges and opportunities faced by the council in this area.

Witnesses

Julie Iles, Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning

Liz Mills, Director – Education, Learning and Culture

Francis Lawlor, Interim Head of Surrey Adult Learning Service/ Service Manager, Surrey Adult Learning

Jayne Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer (College Group) and Principal (East Surrey College)

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. A Member asked what barriers typically made it more difficult for adults to participate in education and training and how adult learners were supported to overcome those barriers. The Director explained that adult learning offered a range of benefits to participants, including skills development, enhanced productivity, career progression and improved health and wellbeing. There were a broad range of barriers to adults engaging in education and learning, such as language, disabilities, disadvantaged backgrounds, ability to travel, access to technology, anxiety, and knowing what was available. The Service was constantly looking at the feedback from learners to try and understand how to make the offer as impactful and accessible as possible.

2. The COIVD-19 pandemic provided the Adult Learning Service with an opportunity to remodel and rethink the operation and delivery of its services across the county to better connect with skills development, increase participation, and ensure that economic changes were well understood and linked to employment opportunities.

3. During the pandemic, Surrey Adult Learning (SAL) was required to cease face-to-face teaching and the Service diversified its offer quickly to successfully deliver remote learning and improve digital skills. Finding alternative ways of delivering adult learning provision was a big learning curve that generated new ways of working and presented a wide range of opportunities for the Service by increasing accessibility and reach into communities. The Principal – East Surrey College (ESC) agreed that remote learning brought more people into education and encouraged those who had previously not considered upskilling or who were worried about their employment status. ESC was involved in two youth hubs for 19-24 year olds, and was working with local district and borough councils and  the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure that this cohort was not left behind. Digital skills developed significantly for students and teachers during the pandemic and more people than ever had enrolled in teacher training courses. The Service Manager added that during COVID-19 an increasing number of learners wanted to have more involvement in the teaching of the curriculum and pushed their teacher more, and those with learning difficulties and vulnerabilities had also started to shape and provide input into the curriculum.

4. ESC was a vocational college that focused on employability and skills development, career progression and retention, and entry into jobs. The college also focused on social engagement and many students undertook a range of volunteering and leisure courses. The majority of adult learners at ESC were enrolled on skills or basic skills programmes to help them get into work or progress onto the next stage of education. There were 300 adult learners studying four programmes over two years, adult apprentices, students studying for their Higher National Certificate and professional courses, and a large number of students engaged in Community Learning. 

5. East Surrey College’s provision and funding differed from that of Surrey Adult Learning. The Principal of ESC explained that the College engaged in partnership bidding to secure funding from educational and skills grants, the Greater London Authority (GLA), the National Skills Fund, and other grant funding (including research funding). Some adults did fully fund their studies and some courses were part funded. ESC designed its provision in accordance with available funding and had received an Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) grant of over £1m, which was the source of most adult skills funding. Money from the National Skills Fund was used to provide free tuition to adults on a range of level three courses (subject to availability and eligibility) and was intended to upskill and qualify adults in priority sectors, such as construction, engineering, and healthcare.

6. The Service Manager - SAL stated that SAL was funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, in small part by the GLA, and by learner’s tuition fees. The budget was split between Adult Skills and Community Learning: around 95% of the 9,000 students at SAL attended Community Learning courses, with approximately 500 studying Adult Skills and working towards an accredited qualification. Adult Skills provision enabled learners to complete accredited qualifications such as English and Maths GCSEs and functional skills. The Community Learning offer was intended to improve health and wellbeing, generate an interest in learning, and help those who wanted to improve their language skills, fitness, and other aspects of their lives. SAL was aiming to increase the proportion of Adult Skills provision to meet the economic and skills priority agenda, reduce the skills gap, and meet the labour needs of certain sectors.

7. The Cabinet Member stated that the Adult Learning Service would play an integral role in post-COVID-19 recovery. Prior to the pandemic, the Service had around 11,000 learners generating approximately £2m of fee income, which was the best performance nationally.

8. ESC delivered wide-ranging adult education in the East of the county. ESC worked with hundreds of employers, many of which input into the Community Learning offer, co-delivered courses, or provided masterclasses and other things to make ESC’s adult learners more employable. The College was also working with sectors that were experiencing a downturn, such as hospitality, and its Care Academy was working with local hospitals and health centres to help target a new series of programmes. Over the past few years and particularly since COVID-19, the College focused more on reskilling, upskilling, career changes, entry into qualifications and return to learning. ESC was also working to mitigate digital poverty and improve digital literacy for adults who lacked basic digital literacy skills or did not have access to laptops. The College was considering what courses people wanted, and reviewed its provision and curriculum and devised programmes to widen opportunities and meet identified demand. The offer changed significantly over the previous five years, and there was a whole Service approach to re-planning provision post COVID-19. 

9. SAL developed a ‘new online Information, Guidance and Advice process’ during the first lockdown in March 2020 and the Service worked hard to communicate and market it to as many individuals as possible. Positive feedback was received, and any issues raised were quickly resolved. Feedback showed that users had clarity and were placed on the right courses for their level of education/skills and aspirations. Further work was needed with those who had not yet engaged, and analysis was underway to ascertain how engagement could be widened. This process was increasing participation and was a more advanced offer than that of other local authorities.

10. SAL was aiming to widen the reach of adult learning opportunities and advisors in Independent Guidance and Advice and Higher Education ensured that grants for all learners were accessible and well-known by employers. Opportunities could change on a daily basis, so it was important that advisors and the Service were up to date and good at analysing opportunities to assist employers. In particular, there had been many changes in Adult Skills, the skills funding agenda, and the Level 3 lifetime skills guarantee.

11. A Member asked whether officers were content that the current configuration of learning sites provided convenient and equitable access to provision for Surrey’s communities which stood to benefit the most from adult education. The Principal - ESC explained that much of ESC provision depended on machinery, workshops and salons, and was therefore based on site. The college did use other centres and worked with the Workers’ Education Association, which delivered in the community, in care homes and local centres. The Principal stated that she would like to see delivery expanded into schools in the future. The Director added that the Service was adopting more of a community-based focus and was working with partners across the council to ensure that opportunities and services were provided to areas where they were needed in the county.

12. A Member asked whether employers could input into the design of adult education and training programmes and how the Service encouraged employers to provide opportunities for staff to undertake training or education. The Principal - ESC explained that qualifications were generally organised by awarding bodies, but ESC worked with hundreds of businesses and there was some scope for employers to have input, particularly on vocational projects and masterclasses. ESC also invited employers to review provision and provide suggestions for new projects and comment on those under development. The construction and digital sector were particularly involved and gave general support to show people how they could adapt and grow their skills. Before the pandemic, ESC worked with East Surrey Hospital to redesign part of the curriculum on care of the elderly and dementia awareness. The Director added that it was important to take a lifelong learning approach to creating opportunities for children and young people with SEND and young people who did not engage mainstream education to enter into internships and apprenticeships and create pathways into employment. The Service would work with the business community to identify opportunities and help develop skills in young people and adults and connect them to opportunities.
13. The Chairman was encouraged by the report and discussion and commended the work being done to improve outcomes for the residents of Surrey.

Recommendations

1. Work with partners, within and external to SCC and with the Surrey Economy and Growth Team to develop a coordinated plan for the future, to ensure that the Adult Learning Service remains responsive to changing health, social and economic needs.
2. Continuously review the Service delivery model to ensure sustainability and that the Service meets the needs and aspirations of the local community.