Guidance

Adult skills fund: funding rules for 2024 to 2025

Sets out the rules that apply to ESFA funded adult skills fund (ASF) provision for the 2024 to 2025 funding year.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

We have published an update to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) funded adult skills fund (ASF) rules for 2024 to 2025 funding year, 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. These rules replace ESFA adult education budget (AEB) funding rules.

The rules apply to all providers of education and training that receive ASF from the Secretary of State for Education acting through ESFA.  

If you have any feedback or questions after reading our funding rules, or if there’s anything else you need help with, you can find more support on our customer help centre.

Updates to this page

Published 20 March 2024
Last updated 18 July 2024 + show all updates
  1. We have published an updated version of the adult skills funding and performance management rules for 2024 to 2025. This includes a new section for performance management, along with new supporting annexes, F, G and H. We have also updated sections on residency, unemployed people, English and maths assessments, tailored learning and job outcome payments for grant providers. We have made parts in the free courses for jobs for 19 to 23 year olds section clearer for providers.

  2. We’ve updated the adult skills fund (ASF) funding rules for academic year 2024 to 2025 to clarify 2 points. The first point is when using the earnings threshold, you must apply this to the learners gross annual salary and exclude any benefits. The second point is that you can fund unemployed learners under the ASF and we have added the unemployed definition into the guidance.

  3. We have published the level 3 qualification flowcharts for the adult skills fund 2024 to 2025. These charts set out the pathway options available to a learner who wishes to enrol on a level 3 qualification.

  4. First published.

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