Stockport to benefit from locally funded skills training

Stockport adults will join thousands more across Greater Manchester to benefit from locally funded skills training as devolution of the £92 million Adult Education Budget (AEB) moves a step closer. 

The AEB, which will transfer from central government to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) from August, will support tens of thousands of the city-region’s residents every year to develop the skills they need, through skills training, for life and work. Additionally, it will help to ensure that employers can access the skilled workforce needed for businesses across the city-region to grow and thrive.

This latest step forward has seen contracts awarded to a host of organisations that will deliver education and training to Greater Manchester’s adult learners from later in the summer.

Courses will range from teaching essential skills that adults need to progress in the world of work or to improve employability, through to acquiring qualifications that will boost career prospects, in particular those working in low paid jobs or in Greater Manchester’s priority sectors, such as Digital and Construction.

Welcoming the latest developments as adult skills devolution draws closer, Cllr Sean Fielding, the GMCA’s portfolio lead for Education, Skills, Work and Apprenticeships, said:

“A key priority for us is making sure that every resident of Stockport and across Greater Manchester can meet the challenges and opportunities of the future head-on with the knowledge, skills and resilience they need to build a strong, inclusive economy and communities across all parts of Greater Manchester. 

“The Adult Education Budget is a crucial part of the toolkit that will help us with that. We’re delighted that we now know the range of high quality education and training providers that will be with us at the start this long-term journey of change, and we look forward to working with them to deliver the best possible outcomes for learners.”

Devolved control over adult skills enables Greater Manchester to introduce new flexibilities to make it easier for people to access the skills training they need, including access to certain courses free of charge for adults earning less than the national living wage. This goes further than a recent Government trial which provided free training for those on less than the minimum wage and aims to help people with low, or no, qualifications in particular.

Funding will also be made available for adults to undertake units of advanced training and education, particularly linked to priority sectors, a policy change designed to help people progress in work, refresh and update their skills after life events such as career breaks/changes or redundancy.

The organisations that will have funding agreements or contracts with GMCA to deliver AEB funded provision to Stockport residents include:

• Aquinas College
• Cheadle & Marple Sixth Form College
• Stockport College – part of the Trafford College Group
• Stockport Council

Organisations across Greater Manchester are:

• ACCESS TO MUSIC LTD (T/A ACCESS CREATIVE COLLEGE)
• AQUINAS COLLEGE
• ASHTON SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
• BABINGTON BUSINESS COLLEGE LTD
• BACK 2 WORK COMPLETE TRAINING LTD
• BOLTON COLLEGE
• BOLTON METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• BURY COLLEGE
• BURY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• CHEADLE AND MARPLE SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
• GLOUCESTERSHIRE COLLEGE
• GROUNDWORK OLDHAM AND ROCHDALE
• HOPWOOD HALL COLLEGE
• LTE GROUP
• MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
• MANTRA LEARNING LTD
• MAXIMUS PEOPLE SERVICES LTD
• OLDHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• PATHWAY FIRST LTD
• PEOPLEPLUS GROUP LTD
• SALFORD CITY COLLEGE
• SEETEC BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE LTD
• STANDGUIDE LTD
• STOCKPORT METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• SYSTEM GROUP LTD
• TAMESIDE COLLEGE
• TAMESIDE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• THE EDUCATION AND SKILLS PARTNERSHIP LTD
• THE GROWTH COMPANY LTD
• THE OLDHAM COLLEGE
• THE TRAFFORD COLLEGE GROUP
• THE TRAINING BROKERS LTD
• TOTAL PEOPLE LTD
• WIGAN AND LEIGH COLLEGE
• WIGAN METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
• WORKERS’ EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay