• Revealed: The 19 winners of the Liverpool City Region AEB tender

    The names of the 19 training providers that have won contracts with Liverpool City Region to deliver its devolved adult education budget (AEB) have been revealed. The combined authority will take control of an annual £50.35 million budget to deliver adult education from September. Up to 30 per cent – or £15.11 million – of…

    17.51 May. 20th, 2019 | News

  • Ofsted's report shows community learning providers need more funding

    The high quality of adult education provision highlighted in the inspectorate’s annual report is a strong argument for rebalancing funding in their favour, says Sue Pember This year’s Ofsted chief inspector’s report highlights how successful our community learning and skills providers are. They are the hidden gems of the adult education system and are leading…

    17.56 Dec. 4th, 2018 | Opinion

  • Mayor of London blames DfE for having to top-slice AEB

    The Greater London Authority is locked in a war of words with the government over Sadiq Khan’s plan to top-slice £3 million from the adult education budget to cover the costs of devolution. The Department for Education insisted it had awarded the GLA “sufficient funds to prepare”, having provided £235,139 in “implementation funding” between September…

    11.00 May. 25th, 2018 | News

  • London needs proper control of its adult education budget

    The office of the mayor of London responds to criticisms that it plans to top-slice £3 million from the adult education budget next year There is no doubt that how we educate and train people throughout their lives has a profound impact not only on their own chances in life but also on London’s and…

    11.00 May. 25th, 2018 | Opinion

  • The new prime providers who struck gold in the first AEB tender

    There were many winners to emerge from the AEB procurement, including two new prime providers which each received more than £1 million. Top of the list of first-time primes is London-based Free to Learn, which has £2 million for November to July next year. Its chief commercial officer was bullish about the company’s ability to…

    12.08 Nov. 17th, 2017 | News

  • Adult education budget procurement has been a disaster

    The ESFA has ridden rough-shod over the work of many vital third sector providers. Tim Ward wants answers Imagine the outcry if, at the beginning of the year, the ESFA had come out with a policy that would move money from one area to another without any reference to local stakeholders. What if it took…

    10.00 Sep. 18th, 2017 | Opinion

  • Training providers are facing uncertain times

    Small training providers like the Friends Centre in Brighton are struggling under the current AEB uncertainty, writes Helen Osborne The recent partial invitation to tender for the Adult Education Budget has been going on a long time, and the announcement has been put back again. There are plenty of unintended consequences which seem not to…

    13.05 Jul. 11th, 2017 | Opinion

  • Exclusive: Election delay for results of first adult education budget procurement

    The announcement of results of the first ever procurement process for the adult education budget has been delayed until after the general election, FE Week can reveal. An email seen by FE Week was sent to providers earlier today via FASST, the online services hub for organisations working with the Education and Skills Funding Agency,…

    22.00 May. 9th, 2017 | News

  • Adult Education budget procurement process set to launch

    The first ever procurement process for adult education budget contracts has been given the ministerial green light and is expected to begin within days. FE Week understands the plan has been given the go-ahead by the secretary of state for education, Justine Greening (pictured). The Skills Funding Agency first wrote to training providers in October and told…

    11.34 Jan. 13th, 2017 | News

  • Public Accounts Committee warning over 'high risk' devolution plans

    “High risk” devolution plans giving local enterprise partnerships widespread adult education budget spending powers must be subjected to far more stringent scrutiny, a new Public Accounts Committee report has warned. The document was unveiled this morning, with committee chair Meg Hillier (pictured) insisting “every pound of public money” spent by LEPs and other relevant local bodies…

    0.01 Dec. 18th, 2016 | News