The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has announced that funding rates for its adult education budget (AEB) programmes will increase by 10 per cent this year.
Colleges and providers will see the increase “throughout the 2022/23 academic year” the combined authority has said.
The move, estimated to cost around £10 million, will be welcomed by colleges and training providers battling increasing running costs due to soaring inflation, sky high energy bills and staffing pressures.
This will add to pressure on the government to increase adult education funding rates nationally, as well as other mayors with devolved budgets.
Non-devolved adult education funding rates have not increased for over a decade.
