Plans to utilise new skills powers in South Yorkshire are being developed by the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority, as the region continues to support residents, employers and businesses during the Coronavirus pandemic.
As part of its Devolution Deal, the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority will take responsibility for c£36m of devolved Adult Education Budget (AEB) from August 1st, 2021 and will commission adult skills provision for the residents of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
The AEB funds colleges, local authorities, training providers voluntary, third sector and community organisations to provide support to both employed and unemployed residents, helping them to acquire the skills they need to move into or progress in a job, a traineeship, an apprenticeship or further learning.
Commissioning of the AEB will include allocations to grant funded local authorities and further education colleges based in South Yorkshire. A Procurement exercise will take place later this year and will be open to any organisation who would like to deliver devolved AEB funded provision to South Yorkshire residents.
Dan Jarvis, Sheffield City Region Mayor, said:
“Helping people and businesses secure the skills they need will be critical to South Yorkshire’s recovery and renewal from the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Thanks to the landmark devolution deal agreed in the summer, we can now move away from a national system, driven by national priorities, to one that helps us shape our destiny. We will use our new powers and budgets to help people and businesses grow and thrive after the Coronavirus pandemic, and help deliver our vision for a stronger, greener, fairer South Yorkshire.
“The new powers will show the power of devolution in action: supporting people to find and get on in work and backing businesses to grow.
“This an exciting time for learners, workers, providers and businesses, and I look forward to working with them to shape a skills system which unlocks the potential of our region and grows our economy.”
Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Education, Skills and Employability Board, added:
“This is the first opportunity we have had to shape the skills agenda in south Yorkshires image and meet our bespoke needs going forward. It’s up to everyone involved to be bold and creative and move away from a national skills prescription to one of serving the local requirements of our people and businesses.”
James Muir, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, said:
“This devolved adult education budget enables colleges, local authorities, training providers and voluntary community sector organisations to better support local people to acquire the skills they need to move into or progress a job, an apprenticeship or further learning.
“It helps businesses to access training they need to fill skills gaps in their workforces, which will be crucial to ensure our region can grow and prosper after the COVID pandemic.
“This is our opportunity to make sure our businesses are getting the skilled employees they need by commissioning the tailored, effective adult education that we know is needed across the region.”
