Mayor announces further £135m to help thousands more Londoners get into well-paid jobs

Today (20th June) the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, reconfirmed his commitment to adult education by announcing £135m more in funding to help Londoners access learning and get into good jobs. This essential funding will support more than 100,000 Londoners as they retrain, learn or upskill and help them get into work in key sectors that will help London get back on its feet.

• Mayor announces £135m package to help thousands more Londoners access learning and get into good jobs.
• The pioneering London Learner Survey, published today, illustrates how important adult learning has been for the thousands of Londoners who have been supported through the Mayors’ Adult Education Budget (AEB) since 2019.
• Around 100,000 Londoners were helped into new or better paid work or progressed their learning in 2021/22 thanks to the Mayor’s Adult Education Budget.
• Training helped Londoners in work boost their earnings by around 10% – helping workers with the rising cost-of-living

Also published today is new data from the first London Learner Survey which has shown how successful the Mayor’s Adult Education Budget (AEB) has been in helping Londoners progress into learning or move into new or better paid work.

The pioneering new survey, the first of its kind nationally, asked Londoners who took part in adult education, questions about their economic and social situation before and after learning. It tracks how London’s AEB has helped Londoners increase their earnings, learn new skills, progress in their chosen field and build confidence in the workplace since the Mayor took on responsibility for the AEB in 2019.

Key findings from the survey include –

• More than half of Londoners reported a positive economic outcome once they completed their course, such as getting into work or accessing further learning. Last year alone, the AEB helped 100,000 Londoners in this way.
• Londoners in work were on average 10 per cent better off financially once they had finished a course, helping with the rising cost of living.
• Almost all Londoners reported improvements in social outcomes as a result of learning (96%), which includes improved wellbeing and confidence and the opportunity to meet new people.

The Mayor has led the way by funding free adult education for low-income and unemployed Londoners through his skills programmes. More than 800,000 Londoners have received free education or skills training thanks to City Hall funding.  The funding the Mayor has announced today will help even more Londoners benefit from free adult education opportunities.

This new funding includes £115m for the Jobs and Skills for Londoners fund and £19m for Wave 4 of the Skills Bootcamps for Londoners to help tens of thousands more Londoners gain the skills they need to get into good work in London’s key sectors- including our growing green industries. An additional £1.2m investment in community outreach activity will help to reach Londoners less likely to engage in adult education and those who could benefit from increasing their numeracy skills through the London Multiply Programme.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“This data shows that my Adult Education Budget is working for London. Adult learning can be transformative and I’m so proud that this is helping Londoners get the skills they need to access good work and boost their earnings, as well as increasing their mental wellbeing and confidence”

“I’m committed to helping even more Londoners benefit from the adult training opportunities London has to offer, which is why I’m investing £135m in new programmes to help thousands more Londoners gain the skills they need to work in sectors crucial to London’s economy and future success. Adult education is key to helping to build a better London for everyone – a fairer and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”

Basirat Amure, achieved Functional Skills English and Maths in July 2022 and is currently undertaking GCSE English and Maths at Morley College Waterloo Centre. Basirat said: 

“Studying English and Maths at Morley has completely changed my outlook on life. It has empowered me and given me the confidence to pursue my career ambitions”

Piyaporn Lahr took part in the Amazon Web Service Restart Programme through Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES). Piyaporn said: 

“This gave me the confidence for interview preparation, and I have now landed a new role as a Trainee Cloud Engineer for a technology consultancy firm”

Angus Knowles-Cutler, BusinessLDN representative on the Skills for Londoners board and Chair of the Outcomes for Londoners Task and Finish Group said:

“In an ever-changing labour market, training must deliver the skills that businesses, and London, needs to thrive 

I’m pleased that the funding announced today will help thousands more Londoners gain new skills and secure good work in sectors key to our economy.”

Gerry McDonald, Association of Colleges representative on the Skills for Londoners Board said: 

“Colleges across London can attest to the impact of the Mayor’s Adult Education Budget. From people taking their first steps in education, to those gaining industry-relevant skills to boost their careers, adult learning is having a transformational impact on Londoners.

‘We supported the London Learner Survey and are proud to be working with City Hall on delivering the Adult Education Budget. I’m delighted that thousands more Londoners will be supported through the funding announced by the Mayor today.”

• The London Learner Survey was launched in the academic year 2021/22 to help measure the outcomes achieved by Londoners after taking courses funded by the GLA’s Adult Education Budget (AEB).
• The survey takes place when the learner begins their course and 5-7 months following their course completion. The data is weighted to be representative of both learning and learners.  
• The GLA is the only funding authority with this level of insight into learner outcomes.
• 52% of Londoners reported a positive economic change after learning. In 2021/22 an estimated 100,000 Londoners got into work, experienced an increase in pay or went onto further learning through the AEB, including 30,000 Londoners who went into employment, and 20,000 Londoners who have increased their earnings. On average, employed learners increased their earnings by 10%.