Croydon Council is considering a change to the way its adult education service is delivered, with specialist providers potentially taking over teaching while the council retains responsibility for setting priorities and overseeing provision.
The proposal concerns Croydon Adult Learning and Training (CALAT), which offers courses and training to residents across the borough. It follows an independent review commissioned by the council that examined four possible ways of organising adult learning. The review recognised the service’s existing work but identified areas where it could improve its offer and long-term affordability.
Cabinet to consider consultation
The recommendation is due to be considered by the council’s Cabinet on 14 October. The proposal is to consult on commissioning specialist providers to deliver courses on the council’s behalf; it is not a final decision to transfer the service. If Cabinet approves consultation, residents, learners and staff would be invited to give their views, and the council says it would consider responses before deciding what to do.
Under the model being considered, Croydon Council would remain responsible for overseeing the service and setting priorities. Specialist organisations could bring expertise in particular areas of adult education, with the stated aim of strengthening skills and qualifications provision and improving the outcomes available to local learners. The council has not yet appointed providers, set out a procurement timetable or made a final decision on the service’s future.
The issue appears on the council’s forward plan as a key decision for Cabinet on 14 October. The plan says the report concerns the future of CALAT and is partly exempt, meaning some material is not publicly available. The forthcoming Cabinet consideration is therefore an important next procedural step, rather than confirmation that outsourcing will happen.
Potential implications for staff
Staff and learners have been informed about the recommendation. If consultation is authorised, employees would be among those invited to respond. The public announcement does not confirm redundancies, a transfer date or an appointed provider. Employment outcomes should therefore not be treated as settled while the delivery model remains a proposal.
The council frames the proposal around improving opportunities and ensuring the service remains affordable over the long term. Any detailed employment arrangements would depend on the decision reached after Cabinet consideration and consultation.
Adult learning provision in Croydon covers a broad range of subjects and venues. The council describes CALAT as offering more than 1,000 part-time courses to over 20,000 people annually, across more than 40 venues. Its programme includes recreational, academic, pre-vocational and vocational learning, as well as English for speakers of other languages, English and maths, digital skills and workplace training.
Existing venue move is separate
Most CALAT classes are also due to move from Croydon Clocktower to Strand House in Thornton Heath during October. The council says the relocation is intended to make better use of its buildings. Some classes are expected to remain in central Croydon. This move is already under way and should be distinguished from the longer-term delivery-model proposal facing Cabinet.
The council’s review considered four options, but its public announcement does not set out the full assessment of each one. It says the review recommended commissioning specialist providers and that the council would continue to oversee provision under that approach. The decision now before Cabinet is whether to consult on that recommendation. Until the consultation has taken place and its responses have been considered, the eventual model and its effects on learners and employees remain unsettled.
For now, the confirmed next step is the Cabinet discussion scheduled for 14 October. Any subsequent public consultation would give staff, learners and residents an opportunity to respond before the council makes a final decision on how adult learning is delivered in Croydon.
