Funding supports thousands of adult learners across West Yorkshire

The Mayor of West Yorkshire met with students and teaching staff at Leeds City College to mark a £17m grant funding allocation between West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Luminate Education Group.

The contract, funded by the Adult Education Budget and National Skills Training, is forecast to offer 7,745 adult learners the opportunity to take a funded course and achieve entry level to Level 3 qualifications.

The Combined Authority selected Luminate Education Group for funding based on their previous work with diverse groups, with 60% of the college’s intake drawn from the most deprived neighbourhoods across West Yorkshire and the majority of adult learners from ethnic minorities, female or having no qualifications on enrolment.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: ‘Meeting with Leeds City College has given me even more motivation to keep fulfilling my pledge to prioritise skills and training to ensure everyone in West Yorkshire has the skills they need to secure work.

‘I’m delighted that we will be able to support so many adults with these funded courses, meaning adult education is accessible to all, no matter what their background is. I will look forward to seeing the successes of our adult learners this year as they gain the skills, qualifications and confidence to secure future employment.’

Bill Jones, deputy CEO at Luminate Education Group and Principal at Leeds City College, added: ‘It was a pleasure to host the Mayor of West Yorkshire at our Leeds City College Quarry Hill campus. As a college, and across Luminate Education Group, we have worked particularly hard on developing a curriculum that responds to the skills needs of the region to prepare young people and adults for the working world. This funding is going to help us continue this work.

‘We are committed to promoting apprenticeships and prioritising adult learning, which are instrumental in rebuilding the economy as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. It was fantastic to be able to showcase some of our impressive student facilities and discuss our approach to ensuring that we are always inclusive and that no student or apprentice gets left behind when studying with us.

‘By working in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, it will enable us to continue delivering high quality learning opportunities to all our students and apprentices, particularly our adult learners.’

Photo by Kaleidico