Glossary
Combined authority
A group of local authorities working together, some of which hold devolved responsibility for adult skills funding in their area.
In full
A combined authority brings neighbouring local authorities together under shared governance, usually with a mayor. Several hold devolved adult skills funding for their area.
Where a learner lives in a devolved area, that authority's rules, rates, eligibility conditions and reporting requirements apply to their adult skills provision rather than the national ones.
Where this comes up
diagnostic
An adult learner appears to be funded by the wrong authority
The learner's recorded source of funding does not match what their home postcode implies, so the aim may be claimed from the wrong funder, under the wrong rules.
module
Devolved adult funding: whose rules apply
The learner's home postcode decides which authority funds their adult skills learning, and therefore which rules, rates and reporting apply.
scenario
A high needs student starts before the top-up is agreed
A student with significant needs starts in September. The local authority top-up has not been agreed by December.
scenario
An adult learner moves house mid-programme
A learner moves from a devolved area to a non-devolved one halfway through their aim. Which authority's rules apply, and does anything change?
module
Adult Skills Fund: earning, evidencing and reconciling
An allocation you have to earn, with eligibility that must be evidenced before you claim, and a reconciliation at the end that can reduce what you keep.
module
FIS and Submit Learner Data: the submission workflow
When to validate locally, when an actual submission is needed, what each report tells you, and how resubmission works within a collection window.