Equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2024

The ASFL is part of economic development within the place directorate. The service receives grant funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to deliver adult education programmes across Lincolnshire.

The aim of the service is to engage with local people who are least likely to participate in learning and enable them to access a range of high-quality learning opportunities to:

• lead more independent lives
• support their families
• gain a qualification
• get a job
• volunteer
• become less socially isolated

The service has four key strategic priorities:

• widen participation and transform people’s lives
• support the local economy
• improve the health and wellbeing of learners
• provide targeted learning to those in greatest need, including helping parents to support their children’s learning

To achieve these priorities ASFL works with local partners to deliver high quality learning to:

• focus funding on people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate in learning, including people:
  • on low incomes
  • with low skills
  • furthest away from the labour market
• widen participation in learning through locally delivered informal and accredited programmes, serving the needs of the diverse communities across Lincolnshire
• contribute to a wide range of outcomes for individuals and the wider community including:
  • personal and social
  • educational attainment
  • economic regeneration
  • improved health and well-being
• develop the capacity of voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver effective adult learning that meets the quality requirements of Ofsted through funding and supporting niche provision
• Work with local partners to deliver high quality learning which contributes to the priorities of:
  • Lincolnshire County Council
  • GLLEP local skills plan
  • joint LCC and LEP employment and skills strategy
  • GLLEP strategic economic plan
  • the local industrial strategy
  • the skills strategy
  • the Lincolnshire sustainability and transformation plan
  • protecting, progressing, prospering: Greater Lincolnshire plan for growth (Covid 19 revival plan)
  • our corporate plan

In the year 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024, the team worked with learners who enrolled on one or more courses. The total number of enrolments was 8,773. The data below shows a summary of their characteristics by:

• gender
• age
• employment
• learning difficulty
• qualifications
• ethnic breakdown, with data from the previous year for comparison

Providers contracts include a target for learners from minority groups in order to ensure we target our funding at those who will benefit most. 

Provider monitoring meetings take place monthly where we review data and follow up if there is under-performance.

ASFL enrolments by age

ASFL enrolments by gender

ASFL enrolments by employment status at the start of the course

ASFL enrolments by learning difficulty

ASFL enrolments by qualification at the start of the course

ASFL enrolments by ethnicity compared to 2021 census data for Lincolnshire

White

Mixed or multiple ethnic

Asian and Asian British

Black and Black British

Other ethnic group

Total