Agenda item

Report by Assistant Director of Education and Skills.

The Committee is asked to consider the proposed decision on a new approach and delivery model to Adult Community Education and the launch of a procurement for the delivery of adult learning from September 2023.

39.1     The Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, Cllr N Jupp, introduced the pre-decision report highlighting that it was good timing following the previous contractor having recently ceased trading.

39.2     The Assistant Director Education and Skills informed the Committee that it had always been the intention to look at the next phase of commissioning for community learning and it made sense to look at alongside the Multiply Maths project for adults to make the best use of grants available.  The decision report for the Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, Cllr Jupp, is the beginning of procurement process and the mission statement included Annex 1 was the key driver for what the service wanted for the future.

39.3     Members of the committee asked questions and a summary of those questions and answers follows.

39.4     A member asked about information that had previously been requested on the number of people in West Sussex who could not read.  It was reported that it had been difficult to get accurate data as the most recent study was dated 2011, so work had taken place on the exit data of pupils at Key Stages 4 and 5.  It was felt it was relevant to collate this data anyway as it could feed into skills agenda and give the opportunity to control future provision to offer a curriculum.  A briefing would be shared with Committee members as soon as possible.

39.5     Members challenged how the County Council could increase participation in adult community education.  Officers reported it was hoped that the model proposed would give the ability to respond to specific localised areas of learning, to target communities that needed support and to be able to target curriculums to specific groups of learners.

39.6     To ensure all providers gave the same high-quality service there would be a rigorous procurement process which included a quality assurance framework.  Community learning would be subject to Ofsted inspections and the County Council’s quality assurance framework would enable the opportunity to support providers who did not meet the service standard.  There would be a contract provision that failing to meet the required standards could result in contracts being stopped and learners moved, along with their funding, to other providers.

39.7     Members asked if there would be sufficient providers in the market? Soft market testing in 2020 had shown there was a range of providers in the market.  At this stage there would be no engagement with employers as there was a desire to align learning for work with the skills agenda.

39.8     Members questioned the use of zero-hour contracts given the current challenging employment market and suggested that their use be minimalised.  Officers reported that these would be used as a way of building an inhouse team quickly, with flexibility and that many tutors welcomed that option of employment.

39.9     Members asked why in the breakdown of resources allocated some 20% were not accounted for.  Officers reported that if all the funding were allocated out to providers for training, then the County Council would have to retain the management of the contracts.

39.10  The proposed model would allow providers to give the right learning environment for the learner. That may not be a traditional classroom scenario but a mix of learning where there could also be family or community-based learning.

39.11  Officers reassured that those learners who had had their training stopped due to the previous provider ceasing trading, were being worked with through the administrators to keep the learning flowing.  Unfortunately, at this point, funding could not be transferred.  It was hoped to get all 70 learners back on track under the new procurement by September 2023.  Members asked for assurances that those learners impacted would not be disadvantaged and officers agreed to check the technicalities and confirm the position with the Committee.

39.12  Resolved – That the Committee:

1.   Supports the proposed new delivery model as outlined in the draft decision report, recognising the advantage of the service designing the curriculum to increase learner take up and the use of a multi-provider model. 

2.   Recognises that the quality and effectiveness of learning by providers is key and welcomes the mechanisms proposed within the procurement process for this.

3.   Raises concern on the proposal for zero-hour contracts for tutors and suggests that these are only used when absolutely necessary. 

4.   Welcomes that there is flexibility on the split across different learning and skills areas so that it can be adapted to meet the needs of residents. 

5.   Asks that an outline of the previous split of the adult education budget is shared with the Committee. 

6.   Asks for clarification that learners who were unable to complete courses will be able to access funding to complete their courses.