The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority Employment and Skills Board met on Wednesday 5 August 2026 to approve funding for various skills initiatives and to update on national adult skills funding rules. Key decisions included the approval of delivery routes for Post-16 Capacity Funding and the FE Teacher Industry Exchange - Construction Skills programme, alongside the management of in-year adult skills funding.

Budget Management of In-year Adult Skills Funding

The Board approved recommendations for the operational management of in-year adult skills budgets. This included noting progress made with Year 1 of the Adult Skills Fund, Free Course for Jobs, and Skills Bootcamps. The award of new engineering funding was approved for inclusion within the Skills Bootcamp budget. An Expression of Interest for £429,000 in new funding for Construction Skills Bootcamps was also noted, with approval granted to accept this funding if awarded and add it to the existing Skills Bootcamp programme. Management of these budgets was delegated to the Director of Strategy and Operations, in consultation with the Mayor. Authority to terminate any Adult Skills Fund, Free Courses for Jobs, or Skills Bootcamp contract was also delegated to the Director of Strategy and Operations, in consultation with the Mayor and the Chair of the Employment and Skills Board.

Post-16 Capacity Funding

The Board approved the delivery route for the Post-16 Capacity Fund. This fund, totalling £9.97 million, is intended to increase capacity within statutory 16-19 education providers to meet projected growth in learner numbers. The allocation methodology will be based on projected 16-17 population growth within each institution's principal recruitment areas, adjusted by current learner numbers. Authority was delegated to the Director of Strategy and Operations, in consultation with the Mayor, to sign any necessary funding agreements.

FE Teacher Industry Exchange - Construction Skills

Approval was given to accept funding of up to £416,972.73 for the FE Teacher Industry Exchange - Construction Skills programme, which will run until 2028/29. This programme aims to address skills shortages in the construction sector by establishing a brokerage function to connect employers with further education providers, facilitating industry professionals' placement in FE settings, and enabling FE teaching staff to undertake industry placements. The delivery route was endorsed in principle, with authority delegated to the Director of Strategy and Operations, in consultation with the Mayor, to sign funding agreements.

Update to the National Adult Skills Funding Rules

The Board noted the direction to adopt national rules for adult education eligibility across England, effective from 1 August 2026. To comply with this, the Greater Lincolnshire Funding Rules have been revised to reflect the national residency eligibility rules. This ensures a consistent approach to learner eligibility, regardless of whether skills functions are delivered through devolved or non-devolved arrangements. The updated rules align with the Secretary of State's Direction under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009¹.