Content

9.1

The Committee considered a report of the
Executive Director of City Futures which informed the Committee
that SYMCA had confirmed Sheffield City Council’s indicative
2024/2025 Adult Skills Fund (ASF) grant allocation for the purpose
of enabling the Local Authority to provide adult education and
skills training to learners aged 19+. The report asked the Economic
Development and Skills Policy Committee to make a formal decision
to allow the Council to become the accountable body for this grant
ahead of the Council agreeing the terms of a Grant Funding
Agreement and applying the grant money.

 

 

 

 

9.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the
Economic Development and Skills Policy Committee:-
 
a)   
Accept the Adult Skills Fund grant allocation for Sheffield and for
the Lifelong Learning and Skills Service and to become the
accountable body for this grant allocation for the academic year
2024/2025; and;
b)   
Approves the Commissioning and Procurement of 19+ Adult Learning
and Skills activities in community settings across Sheffield from
external providers for a period of one year [from 1st
August 2024 to 31st July 2025] and an estimated value of
£650,000.

 

 

9.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

9.3.1

The recommended outcome is to allow FACES
within the Lifelong Learning and Skills Service to accept the
allocation to enable delivery of adult learning to begin in
September 2024.

 

 

9.3.2

The further recommended outcome is to enable
Lifelong Learning and Skills to move to procurement so that the
service can deliver the necessary niche or high demand Adult
Learning, Employment, Learning and Skills activities from partners
and training providers to meet the regional skills priorities.

 

 

9.3.3

This recommended outcome will also enable the
service to continue to reach to some of the most disadvantaged
communities and those furthest from the labour market and offer
those communities learning opportunities to begin a pathway towards
employment and active citizenship.

 

 

9.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

9.4.1

Do Nothing – This is not an option as
the Council has agreed a delivery plan with SYMCA which includes
sub-contracting a proportion of the AEB towards its overall targets
and needs to proceed with delivery to ensure the contract for
2024/25 is met.

 

 

9.4.2

Self-Deliver – This is not an option;
the service does not have the capacity to deliver the necessary
skills activities where demand is high and does not have the
staffing expertise to deliver diversity to meet the skills
priorities for the region.