ADD2666 English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) London Capacity Fund

1.1.    Under MD3118, the Mayor approved the receipt of a £200,907 grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), to increase capacity in London for Ukrainians seeking to access English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training.   
1.2.    This is part of their wider scheme of support for Ukrainian nationals on the Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme and is sourced from a DLUHC underspend from the 2022-23 financial year. Whilst Ukrainian nationals are the target beneficiaries of this scheme, DLUHC have stated they recognise that broader refugee and migrant communities will likely benefit from this fund, through increased capacity across the ESOL sector. 
1.3.    The funding is intended to ensure that Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs), hosted by the GLA in London, can continue to support operational delivery of ESOL for primarily Ukrainian guests, as well as other refugee cohorts and people with English language needs. SMPs have been given the flexibility to decide how to optimally use funding to meet demand for ESOL in their region. 
1.4.    The aims of the funding, as outlined in the GLA’s grant agreement with DLUHC, are to build capacity by commissioning tutor training to meet ESOL demand in the region, support local authorities to increase the proportion of individuals accessing English language provision, and support and drive problem solving and planning at a national, regional, and local level. 
1.5.    The £200,907 DLUHC allocation for London has been agreed via a Section 59 grant agreement and was received in the 2022-23 financial year. The terms of the grant agreement allow for spend to be carried over for delivery into financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 to better align delivery to the academic year. 
1.6.    MD3118 also approved the overall delivery approach for the funding, involving an expression of interest process (EoI) with existing Adult Education Budget providers, who deliver Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) qualifications. This EoI process launched on 13 July and closed on 26 July 2023. Nine providers in London were eligible, and of those seven submitted EoIs. 
1.7.    The amount requested by the seven providers in London totals £319,612 so funding allocations have been assessed based on based on learner numbers, delivery, amount requested and calculating an average cost for delivery. Using the average cost for delivery of around £1200 per learner calculated using the base funding rate for CELTA with a 40 per cent uplift to include London rates and wrap around support for learners, funding was then applied proportionality to providers in line with delivery proposals submitted in their EoIs.  Whilst the allocation proportions are based on the average course cost, providers will be asked to deliver CELTA at the rates outlined in their EoI forms. This provides better value for money and will result in around 20 additional courses being delivered by providers.  
 

2.1.    Following the conclusion of the EoI process, seven providers will be offered an allocation as part of the London ESOL capacity fund:
•    Ealing Hammersmith & West London College: £40,519
•    Richmond and Hillcroft Adult and Community College: £39,168
•    NCG: £28,814
•    West Thames College: £27,238
•    The WKCIC Group: £24,311
•    London South East Colleges: £21,948
•    South Thames Colleges Group: £18,909.
2.2.    Their planned delivery will fund training to increase the number of qualified ESOL tutors in London, build up capacity in the workforce and, therefore, help providers to better meet demand for ESOL. The programme is supporting new activity that does not duplicate existing AEB provision as the GLA has not funded CELTA courses before. This Fund will also act as a pilot to determine next steps in funding CELTA on a more regular basis, potentially through the Adult Education Budget. 
2.3.    It is estimated that the fund will support  around180 learners to attain a CELTA qualification which would over double the number of privately or loan funded CELTA qualifications delivered in London in the last academic year and make a significant contribution to the pipeline of trained ESOL tutors in London. No minimum delivery targets have been set by DLUHC , but the GLA is required to provide quarterly reports to monitor progress.  
2.4.    Where providers have been unable to meet delivery targets across 23-24, the GLA will look at permitting providers to carry funding over to 24-25. However, the GLA will retain the discretion to remove and re-distribute funding to other eligible providers where poor performance is identified. 
2.5.    As part of the capacity fund prospectus, providers have also been asked to provide employment support to learners with a view to 40 per cent of trainees being engaged in paid ESOL teaching in London within three months of graduation. 
2.6.    To ensure that the funding is reaching individuals who would not otherwise have enrolled in a CELTA course, providers have been asked to meet local needs and prioritise learners whose income is below the London Living Wage, or those to whom course fees have been a barrier to training as an ESOL tutor. Learners must also be resident in London and meet the residency requirements as stipulated in the London AEB funding rules. 
2.7.    Data on learner demographic, CELTA delivery and enrolment figures will be captured and fed into central reporting requirements with DLUHC as per the grant agreement.  
2.8.    Successful organisations will be expected to deliver their full allocation by the end of the 2023-24 financial year, however there is provision in the GLA's grant agreement with DLUHC to extend delivery into 2023-24 if required. 
 

3.1.    In carrying out any functions in respect of Skills and Employment programmes, officers will comply with the public sector equality duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.
3.2.    Section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010 provides that, in the exercise of their functions, public authorities must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010;
•    advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and
•    foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3.3.    Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.4.    Relevant protected characteristics are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
3.5.    Equality, integration and inclusion are key drivers of the ESOL Capacity Fund, which is focused on meeting the needs of protected groups, including those with insecure immigration status, refugees and migrant Londoners. The programme targets learners with an income below the London Living Wage or who would otherwise not have been able to afford the cost of a CELTA course. The aim of the programme is to expand workforce capacity in London to meet the increase in need for ESOL provision for individuals with English language needs, which will support social integration and positive economic outcomes for refugee and migrant groups. 
 

4.1.    The Mayor has committed to improving the coordination of ESOL and increasing the accessibility of provision in London. The ESOL capacity fund will help to increase workforce capacity in the sector so that demand for ESOL can be better met locally. 
4.2.    The GLA will issue new grant agreements to the seven providers, but programme management and reporting will be assimilated into existing processes within the Skills and Employment unit.
4.3.    As part of the EoI process, providers were asked to outline the delivery modes in which they will provide courses to learners. Delivery modes include in-person training; online training; evening training; weekend training; and intensive training. Having a range of delivery modes ensures that there are flexible courses offered accessible to learners interested in CELTA. To ensure providers commit to this delivery, the delivery modes outlined in each provider’s EoI will be outlined in their grant agreement or allocation email. 
4.4.    Outlined below are the key risks and mitigations put in place: 

Conflicts of interest
4.5.    There are no conflicts of interest to note from those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    MD3118 delegated authority to the Assistant Director, Skills and Employment to make further programme-level decisions in relation to £200,907 of expenditure of income from the DLUHC towards the delivery of ESOL capacity building.
5.2.    As a result, approval is requested for the grant award of £200,907 to seven AEB providers in London offering CELTA qualifications across the 2023-24 and 2024-35 financial years as outlined in section 2.1.
5.3.    This expenditure is fully funded by grant funding from DLUHC and is expected to be completed within the 2023-24 financial year although there is scope for this to be extended into 2024-25 if necessary and this is allowed for within the funding agreement.
 

6.1.    GLA officers confirm that there are no legal implications related to this report but will seek legal advice where necessary.

Appendix A - Grant Agreement letter template