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<p>The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults
through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the Multiply programme and Skills Bootcamps.</p><p>The
AEB is worth £1.34 billion in 2023/24 and approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved
to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).
These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education
for their residents. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible
for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.</p><p> </p><p>In ESFA AEB areas, the
department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded
provision, excluding associated learner and learning support, in 2022/23 and 2023/24.
The department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded
provision in six sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport
Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and
Mathematics and Statistics. Additionally, in 2024/25, as part of the AEB transition
to the Adult Skills Fund, the department will introduce five new funding rates that
will apply to the ESFA Adult Skills Fund with 78% of qualifications seeing a funding
increase.</p><p> </p><p>Prior to devolution, the Community Learning portion of the
AEB amounted to approximately £230 million in 2018/19. The department does not collect
data on what MCAs and the GLA currently spend on Community Learning.</p><p> </p><p>In
2024/25, as part of the Adult Skills Fund, the term Tailored Learning brings together
what was the AEB Community Learning, formula-funded AEB non-regulated learning, which
was previously delivered through the adult skills, and new employer-facing innovative
provision that is not qualification based.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The department is
also providing up to £270 million directly to local areas in England to deliver innovative
interventions to improve adult numeracy through the Multiply programme. The department
is also building the evidence base on what works to improve adult numeracy, including
through randomised control trials.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Skills Bootcamps are free,
flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific
skills, with an offer of a job interview upon completion. This is supported by £550
million over the current Spending Review period as well as £170 million in grant funding
to MCAs and local areas in 2024/25.</p><p> </p><p>Spend by the department on further
education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts. This
can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports</a>.</p><p>
</p><p> </p>
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