Purpose

Following devolution of adult education functions to Surrey County Council, the Council has been through the process of determining Adult Skills Fund and Free Courses for Jobs grant awards for the 2026/27 academic year, with which providers will deliver adult skills provision to Surrey residents.

These competitive grant awards have a total value of £2.4m and, alongside direct grant awards, form a key element of the Council’s commissioning approach for 2026/27. In total, £11.5m (Adult Skills Fund + Free Courses for Jobs) will be available to providers for 2026/27.

Decision

It was AGREED that:

1. £2.4m of Adult Skills Fund and Free Courses for Jobs funding would be awarded to 15 providers via competitive grants for the 2026/27 academic year
2. Officers will work with providers to utilise any uncommitted funding in support of priority areas

Reasons for the decision

The decision to award these competitive grants was based on provider applications, which were independently assessed against the published evaluation criteria and in the context of Surrey's overarching commissioning strategy to ensure the strongest possible county-wide skills offer.

2026/27 is the first academic year for which Surrey County Council will be responsible for commissioning Adult Skills Fund provision for Surrey residents. The benefit of competitive grant awards is that they offer greater choice and opportunities to innovate?, increasing priority provision in a more balanced offer overall?.

Details of the providers and grant amounts were reviewed with and approved by the Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport & Economic Growth in consultation with the Executive Director - Place. Once grant agreements have been finalised, these details will be shared in the public domain.

Alternative options considered

The decision to award competitive grants in the 2026/27 academic year supports the transition to devolved commissioning and creates opportunities to innovate within overarching stability.

Together with the direct grants that have been allocated to established local providers, including those in neighbouring local authority areas, they form a blended commissioning approach that is consistent with commitments made as part of the devolution assurance process to maintain market stability in year 1 post-devolution.