Witnesses
Cllr Clare Curran, Cabinet Member for Children and Families,
Lifelong Learning
Cllr Matt Furniss, Cabinet
Member for Highways, Transport and Economic Growth
Julia Katherine, Director
– Education and Lifelong Learning
Francis Lawlor, Surrey Adult Learning Service
Manager
Luke McCarthy, Economy Lead, Strategic Lead -
Policy & Strategy
Key points
made in the discussion:
- The Task Group
Chairman remarked that he thought it was a mistake to have paused
work on a centralised online database of all available training in
Surrey, recommended by the task group. Surrey Adult Learning (SAL) Service Manager
said following the recommendation he had sought to
gain information from colleges. However, National Careers Service
had since developed their own national database of courses that
lead to qualifications, which Surrey Adult Learning and colleges in
Surrey feed into. The Member asked if this included community
learning opportunities and if it was promoted by SAL. The Service
Manager said he was confident it included all courses but they did
not question the outside body to check its accuracy or
completeness. They did market the facility but did not test to see
if residents utilised it. The Service Manager added that when,
under the County Deal, Surrey County Council (SCC) had a greater
strategic oversight and leadership role for adult learning and its
funding, it should then provide its own database and not go through
the National Careers Service.
- A Member asked for
more information on how SCC’s approach to adult learning
would change following the introduction of the County Deal and
devolution of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) from 2026/27. The
Service Manager said it would allow the Council to ensure it has a
far greater understanding of adult learning across the whole
county. Rather than just being a deliverer, it would receive about
£11.5m and will be able to set out its priorities in terms of
the skills agenda, community, health and wellbeing, make decisions
on what it is spent on and who it funds, and set expectations for
the providers it commissions. Currently SCC cannot determine how
money is spent; the Department for Education (DfE) and Education
and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocate money to providers, who
spend it in accordance with the National Funding Allocation Method.
The Economy Lead added this would enable the Council to target
provision in line with skills gaps flagged by local businesses, and
to focus on particular demographics most in need.
- The Cabinet Member
leading on Adult Learning added that community learning courses
were highly valued and should not be forgotten when the AEB is
devolved, with the disparity between West and East availability in
this area highlighted by the task group. A Member sought clarity on
what the Council planned to do to address the postcode lottery from
2026/27 onwards. The Service Manager said a programme board would
be set up to discuss how they want to influence the balance of
provision when the County Deal is introduced in September 2026. A
Skills Strategic Plan would be developed to determine what the
offer should be to meet the needs of Surrey, on a health and
wellbeing as well as skills basis. The Economy Lead said they met
FE principals quarterly to give a steer on business needs. The
£11.5m made available which would become known as the Adult
Skills Fund, was not an increase in funding and would also have to
also be used to develop the Skills Strategic Plan and procure and
monitor contracts.
- A Member
sought assurance that free courses for
residents in carbon literacy and sustainable living would be freely
available to all Surrey residents as recommended, not just
employees across
different sectors serving the economy. Assurance was provided by
the Economy Lead.
- A Member asked if SAL
was working with any of multiple charities suggested by the task
group to help the Council reach vulnerable people in most need of
its adult skills through the charities’ local knowledge. The
Service Manager responded they had worked with York
Road Project and Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum and been to Oakleaf
Enterprise. Scope and Mencap helped the Council in its mental
health approach. Although there was some partnership working, he
said charities’ first expectation tended to be to look for
funding from the Council, which was not a funding body for adult
learning.
- A Member queried as
to whether asylum seekers in East Surrey also had their
transport to attend training provision
funded, since SAL serves only the West. The Service Manager replied
that while SAL uses some of its ESFA funding to pay for transport,
East Surrey College chooses not to, and the County Deal would in
the future allow SCC to harmonise the funding model across the
county.
Cllr Matt
Furniss joined the meeting at 1.51pm.
- The Cabinet Member
leading on Skills was asked to outline his aspirations in this area
and how these fit together with those for Adult Learning. He
explained that the national focus was much more on vocational
skills in a drive to get people back into jobs and that was the
strong focus of the Surrey Skills Plan and the Local Skills
Improvement Plan created by Surrey Chambers of Commerce. He did not
believe there were plans to remove community learning, much of
which was paid for by individual learners. The future question
would be whether they are delivered together or not.
- The
Cabinet Member noted progress made in the last nine
months: £4.5m additional funding for adult skills training
including Skills Bootcamps and retrofit training, a good
relationship with Department for Work and Pensions for Targeted
adult learning employment support in neighbourhoods including Old
Dean, and a majority of education establishments signed up to
Surrey’s single careers hub which focuses on apprenticeships
and technical education.
Resolved:
The
Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Select Committee
recommends:
1)
Lifelong Learning produces a map of which adult
learning providers across the county provide what courses and
where, to enable gaps in provision to be identified, by the end of
July 2024.
2)
Surrey Adult Learning and the Economy and Growth
team together give renewed consideration to the Task Group’s
recommendations endorsed by the Select Committee in June
2023.
3)
(a)
The Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Lifelong
Learning (adult learning) and the Cabinet Member for Highways,
Transport and Economic Growth (skills and apprenticeships) confirm
in writing to what extent they believe the 2023 recommendations
have been completed; and
(b)
The Lifelong Learning and Economy and Growth
Services assist the Cabinet Members in the above endeavour by
producing an analysis of the gap between what was recommended and
what has been done, and a programme of work striving to reach
completion.
Cllr Liz
Townsend left the meeting at 1.57pm.