Equality, diversity and inclusion annual report 2023
Adult Skills and Family Learning Service
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/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), and
Council's Corporate Plan
In the year 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023, the team worked with 7,138 learners. who enrolled on one or more courses. The total number of enrolments was 9984. The data below shows a summary of their characteristics by gender, age, employment, learning difficulty, qualifications and ethnic breakdown.
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
Age
Number of enrolments
Percentage
19
288
2.9%
20 to 29
2,031
20.3%
30 to 39
2,415
24.2%
40 to 49
1,960
19.6%
50 to 59
1,902
19.1%
60 to 64
717
7.2%
65 plus
671
6.7%
Total
9,984
100%
ASFL enrolments by gender
Gender
Number of enrolments
Percentage
Female
6,607
66.2%
Male
3,377
33.8%
Total
9,984
100%
ASFL enrolments by employment status at the start of the course
Employment status
Number of enrolments
Percentage
Employed
4,194
42%
Unemployed and looking for work
3,667
36.7%
Unemployed and not looking
2,123
21.3%
Total
9,984
-
ASFL enrolments by learning difficulty
Learning difficulty
Number of enrolments
Percentage
No learning difficulty
7,007
70.2%
Vision impairment
176
1.8%
Hearing impairment
220
2.2%
Disability affecting mobility
287
2.9%
Profound complex disabilities
17
0.2%
Social and emotional difficulties
114
1.1%
Mental health difficulty
494
4.9%
Moderate learning difficulties
461
4.6%
Severe learning difficulty
56
0.6%
Dyslexia
379
3.8%
Dyscalculia
15
0.2%
Autism spectrum disorder
222
2.2%
Asperger's syndrome
43
0.4%
Temporary disability (for example post-viral) or accident
44
0.3%
Speech, language and communication needs
31
1%
Other physical disability
100
1.0%
Other specific learning difficulty (for example Dyspraxia)
18
0.2%
Other medical condition (for example epilepsy, asthma, diabetes)
179
1.8%
Other learning difficulty
45
0.5%
Other disability
76
0.8%
Total
9,984
100%
ASFL enrolments by qualification at the start of the course
Qualification
Number of enrolments
Percentage
Entry level
562
5.6%
Level 1
787
7.9%
Level 2
985
9%
Full level 2
815
8.2%
Level 3
520
5.2%
Full level 3
872
8.7%
Level 4
374
3.7%
Level 5
384
3.8%
Level 6
1,041
10.4%
Level 7 and above
532
5.3%
Other qualifications, level not known
341
3.4%
Not known
603
6.0%
No qualifications
2,258
22.6%
Total
9,984
100%
ASFL enrolments by ethnicity compared to 2021 Census data for Lincolnshire
