The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) is national grant funding which supports adult learners to gain the skills they need for meaningful, sustained and relevant employment, or to progress to further learning that improves their job prospects.
ASF provision can also support wider outcomes such as improving health and wellbeing, equipping parents and carers to support their child’s learning and developing stronger communities.
Why is the council responsible for Adult Skills Fund?
Government devolved adult education functions to Surrey County Council as part of the County Deal, which means we will be responsible for the ASF in Surrey from the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
Previously ASF funding was administered directly by the Government and that continues to be the case for non-devolved areas via the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Devolution of these functions gives us the ability to secure adult skills provision for Surrey residents in line with local employment and skills priorities.
How will organisations be funded?
Funding for ASF courses for Surrey learners is allocated in two ways: a direct grant award and a competitive grant award process.
Providers eligible for a direct grant award received notification of their provisional funding allocation for the 2026/27 academic year in April 2026.
All providers previously in receipt of ASF funding from the DWP (previously from the Department for Education), including those not eligible for a direct grant award, can apply for funding via the competitive grant award process. Details will be shared in May 2026.
From the 2027 to 2028 academic year, we expect to see the majority of provision delivered by organisations in Surrey and will be working with Surrey-based providers to understand their capacity to scale up.
Who is eligible for ASF funding?
To be eligible for direct grant awards in the 2026/27 academic year, providers must be:
- based in Surrey or neighbouring local authority areas (a physical delivery presence in those areas)
- in the top 20 in terms of numbers of enrolments in core skills provision (based on most recent local delivery data)
- in receipt of ASF already through the DfE
Core skills provision consists of English, Maths, digital skills, employability and vocational qualifications, which can be both "regulated" (with a formal accreditation) or "non-regulated"(no formal qualification but assessed through the achievement of personalised targets set in an individual learning plan).
We have based our funding approach on definitions provided by the DWP.
Any provider can apply for ASF funding from Surrey County Council via the competitive grant process. For further details, email economy.growth@surreycc.gov.uk
How are ASF funding allocations calculated?
We have used delivery data from the 2024/25 academic year – the most recent full year of data for both core skills and tailored learning provision – to determine 2026 to 2027 allocations.
How do providers apply for the competitive grant award?
The competitive grant award process will open for applications in May 2026.
These competitive awards will not have geographical restrictions.
Prospective providers should contact economy.growth@surreycc.gov.uk to register their interest.