This article sets out the bodies responsible for adult education and training at national and local level and explains their areas of responsibility.

Department for Education (DfE) 

The Department for Education (DfE) is the UK Government department with overall responsibility for the education system in England. Its remit includes the adult (post-19) learning and skills sector, as well as all other sectors and phases of education. The Department is led by the Secretary of State for Education who is assisted by a team of Ministers. The Secretary of State has responsibility for the following policy areas:

• adult education, including the National Retraining Scheme (see below)
• further education colleges
• apprenticeships, including the apprenticeship levy, traineeships and institutes of technology
• technical education and skills, including new T level qualifications
• careers education, information and guidance
• post-16 funding (including support for young people and adult learners)
• reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Ofsted has responsibility for the further education provider marker, while the Minister for Skills leads quality and improvement measures.

The National Skills Fund will support adults to learn and reach their potential in the labour market.  It aims to increase skills, productivity and individuals’ resilience, to better respond to a changing labour market. The Government will consult on the National Skills Fund next year.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is the UK Government department responsible for welfare policy in England. Jobcentre Plus is the arm of the DWP which deals with out-of-work benefits, including providing employment support through Jobcentres.

Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) 

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Education (DfE). Established in April 2017, it brought together the former Education Funding Agency (EFA) and Skills Funding Agency to create a single organisation accountable for funding education and skills for children, young people and adults. In relation to adult education and skills, the ESFA’s main responsibilities include:

• regulating further education colleges and training providers
• accounting for public funding of further education and skills, including providing the Adult Education Budget (see below)
• running the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), which supports, funds and co-ordinates the delivery of apprenticeships and traineeships throughout England
• running the National Careers Service, which gives impartial, professional advice on careers, skills and training.

In September 2018, the ESFA assumed responsibility for all apprenticeship and professional and technical education reform from the DfE, bringing policy development and delivery together.

The Adult Education Budget aims to engage adults and provide them with the skills and learning they need for work, an apprenticeship or other learning. From 2019-20 onwards, responsibility for certain adult education functions funded by the AEB have been transferred (‘devolved’) to 6 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). They therefore oversee the need to ensure that eligible learners in their respective areas have access to appropriate education and training. See the article on ‘Adult Education and Training Funding’ for further information.

Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation 

Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, is responsible for regulating publicly funded qualifications taken outside of higher education, including those taken by adult learners. Ofqual is a non-ministerial government department which reports directly to Parliament. Its main regulatory powers are the recognition of awarding organisations and the accreditation of certain qualifications. Ofqual was formally established in April 2010 by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, which set out a number of statutory objectives, of which the following relate to adult learning:

• to secure qualifications standards
• to promote public confidence in regulated qualifications 
• to promote awareness of the range and benefits of regulated qualifications
• to ensure that regulated qualifications are provided efficiently.

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education 

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) responsible for ensuring high quality apprenticeship standards and advising the Government on funding for each standard. It is led by employers and its main functions include:

• developing and maintaining quality criteria for the approval of apprenticeship standards and assessment plans
• supporting the development of standards and assessment plans by employer groups, and reviewing and approving them
• publishing approved standards and assessment plans
• advising on the maximum amount of government funding that can be drawn down by employers for individual apprenticeship standards.

The Institute develops, approves, reviews and revises apprenticeships and technical qualifications with employers. This includes responsibility for T Levels delivery and for implementing an approval process for higher technical qualifications.The Institute was originally established as the Institute for Apprenticeships by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, as amended by the Enterprise Act 2016.

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and National Skills Academies (NSAs) 

National Skills Academies (NSAs) have a leading role in developing the infrastructure needed to deliver specialist skills for key sectors and sub-sectors of the economy across the UK. Established from late 2006, they are employer-led and work with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and other industry bodies to design and deliver skills programmes, qualifications and curricula to meet current and future sector needs. The Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) were originally established as a UK-wide network in 2002, each covering a specific sector across the UK.

The SSCs, sector skills bodies and NSAs are supported by the Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards (FISSS).

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and Enterprise Zones (EZ) 

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are non-statutory partnerships between the public sector (local authorities) and the private sector (businesses) which promote economic growth in their area. They are expected to engage with the further and higher education sectors to agree local skills priorities and how they can best be delivered. LEPs in England were originally announced in 2010 and have since assumed many of the responsibilities of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), now abolished.

Established in 2012, Enterprise Zones (EZ) are a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan to support business growth. Businesses that locate in an EZ can benefit from business rate tax relief or enhanced capital allowances. LEPs can use the business rates growth generated by the EZ to fund economic development in the EZ or in the wider local area.

Since 2014, LEPs have also been the principal delivery vehicle for the EU Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) Growth Programme. This is the funding programme for 2014 to 2020 which brings together the allocation for England of the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund (covering social inclusion; employment, including people in work and at risk of redundancy; and skills support), and part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) 

Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs), first announced in 2017, aim to bring together local employers and skills providers to pool knowledge on labour market needs and skills and work together to understand and address local skills challenges. They work both with LEPs (see above) and Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA), which, from September 2019 onwards, will take over responsibility for parts of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) in their respective areas (see the subheading ‘Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)’ above).

By March 2021 all Skills Advisory Panels will produce a local skills report which brings together local skills needs, strategies and plans into one document. Reports will include an annex of core skills-related data and highlight ways local partners can support the skills agenda..

Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) 

Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) is responsible for the inspection of further and adult education and is described in Chapter 11 Quality Assurance.

Education and Training Foundation 

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF), established in August 2013, is the national support body for staff in the further education sector. Its role includes setting and promoting professional standards, leading workforce development and providing workforce data and research. The Foundation is supported by government and owned by the sector through its membership bodies, including:

• the Association of Colleges (AOC), a membership organisation for further education colleges, sixth-form colleges, tertiary and specialist colleges
• the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), a national membership organisation for organisations that deliver apprenticeships, employability support and vocational learning
• HOLEX, the lead body for adult community education and learning, which represents a network of adult and community learning providers, and is the sector membership body for local authority community learning services and independent third sector providers.

Learning and Work Institute (L&W)

The Learning and Work Institute (L&W) is an independent policy and research organisation, which aims to promote lifelong learning, employment and inclusion. It campaigns for the benefits to be gained from lifelong learning and work. It was formed in 2016 through the merger of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI).

Historical note: Prior to April 1993, local authorities (then known as local education authorities) had a major role in planning, providing and funding adult education. This changed under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 which ‘incorporated’ further education colleges, i.e. gave them independence from the local authority. The statutory duty to secure adequate facilities for adult education passed to the Further Education Funding Council for England (FEFC), a body established under the Act. The FEFC was subsequently disbanded by the Learning and Skills Act 2000, which reformed the planning and funding of all post-16 learning outside of higher education and established the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC was itself disbanded by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, which transferred responsibility for funding 16 to 19 education and training to local authorities and established the Skills Funding Agency to take responsibility for funding post-19 learning. In April 2017, the responsibilities of the Skills Funding Agency were merged into the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), the single agency for funding education and skills for children, young people and adults.

Article last reviewed December 2020.