Adult Education Budget Strategy

The Plan

In March 2020, West Yorkshire agreed an ambitious devolution deal with the Government, which will see our region have a directly-elected mayor from May 2021.

The agreement, which is the biggest ever of its kind, unlocks more than £1.8 billion in investment to drive up living standards through better transport, improved skills and stronger businesses, while tackling the climate emergency. This means that West Yorkshire will have control of the £63m annual Adult Education Budget (AEB) for the area enabling us to align spending on skills more closely with the opportunities and needs in the local economy.

The main purpose of the AEB is to provide adults with the skills needed for entering and sustaining employment, an apprenticeship, a traineeship, or other further learning. The funding pays specifically for learning programmes (predominantly qualifications) and provides an element of learner support funding for those with learning difficulties and disabilities.

The AEB Strategy has been developed in order to ensure that we are ready to deliver the Adult Education Budget by 1 August 2021. The plan builds on our existing strategies and the needs of our area, providing a clear foundation upon which we can build the skills of people and businesses within West Yorkshire. The timescales set out by the Government mean that it is necessary to develop the plan prior to the election of the West Yorkshire Mayor.

Click here to view the AEB Strategy.

Devolution of the Adult Education Budget will only proceed if the wider devolution deal is agreed and implemented. If you are interested in knowing more about the West Yorkshire devolution consultation, please click here to visit our West Yorkshire Devolution webpage.

Consultation and next steps

Between 25 May and 12 July a period of public engagement was held which allowed you to provide feedback on the AEB Strategy via an online survey. This survey has now closed and your comments have been analysed. The outcome report, a preliminary updated version of the strategy and a ‘You said, we listened’ report which outlines some of the changes proposed to the strategy following your feedback can be found in the documents section of this page. These papers were discussed at the Combined Authority meeting on 4 September to ensure that we are able to meet the required timelines for the delivery of the devolved AEB for the 2021/22 academic year. To view the document that is being presented at this meeting please click here [external link - opens in a new tab].

Contact us

Via our Q&A tool: Submit your questions below

Via email: yourvoice@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

Via phone: 0113 245 7676 (Metroline)

Via post: Freepost CONSULTATION TEAM (WYCA)