The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) grant letter 2009-10 (18 November 2009) set out planned investment in adults and associated learner numbers for 2008/09 and 2009/10.
Investment through the LSC is expected to support around 3.4 million adult learners in 2008/09 and 3.3 million learners in 2009/10 across all funding routes. These are not expressed as full-time equivalents as this method of calculating the volume of learning is not applicable for all funding routes.
We are committed to ensuring that public investment supports adults to gain skills necessary to enter and progress into sustainable employment and further learning. This strategy has seen record numbers of learners participate and achieve qualifications that provide these skills. Reprioritisation of funding towards these priorities and away from high numbers of shorter courses will affect the total number of LSC-funded adult learners.
Learner number figures are based on national assumptions of what our investment could deliver in each of the funding routes. The volume and level of courses delivered will follow demand. It is therefore not possible to say how many of these places will be delivered in further education colleges over these years.
Planned budgets for 2010-11 with associated learner numbers will be confirmed towards the end of the year in the normal way. Budgets for 2011-12 and beyond will be agreed as part of the next spending review.