AoC responds to the English Devolution White Paper

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: “It’s good to see the government publish the English Devolution White Paper today, offering local leaders and communities the powers and tools they need to deliver inclusive growth for their area. As anchor institutions colleges will be at the heart of unlocking this vision and we hope that in a more devolved system they can be trusted more to deliver what's needed in their areas.

"A 'devolved by default' approach means we can look forward to joining up a fragmented system of post-16 education and skills, with schools, universities and independent training providers all part of the same system, with expectations on their respective roles. The Department for Education has already signalled that its post-16 vision includes more coordinated delivery for employers and pathways for learners - if that is to happen, then devolved authorities are the obvious local coordinators.

“Colleges operate in increasingly complex environments and therefore the move to combining adult skills funding into one pot is a good step forward towards aligning transport with skills for instance, and skills with mental health and other support. However, we know that there is more that authorities can do to get funding to the front line. This needs to be aligned with funding from central government: the value of the adult skills budget, for example, has fallen by more than 50% since 2010. The government's ambitious economic growth mission will only be realised when adult education funding matches need and it a long way from that now."