Community Learning and Skills Adult Education Centre Plans

Date Published: 20/11/2024

Kent County Council's Community Learning and Skills (CLS) delivers Adult Education courses to help residents develop the skills they need to help get a job, build their knowledge and skills and develop their careers.

There are 17 permanent Adult Education centres (AEC), which include some where we share the building with other KCC services. We also hire other community spaces to deliver courses when required.

Last year, we held 1,626 high quality community-based courses for 8,017 learners and we are looking to grow this model.

Government funding for Adult Education has changed, with focus on supporting adult learners with work skills and careers, health and personal development, and family learning. This means learning for leisure, including some creative and language courses, as well as repeat learner courses, can no longer be subsidised using government funding, as they have been up until now.

Kent Adult Education will have an increased focus on core subjects such as vocational courses in specific industry sectors, English, maths and digital skills.

This change will help Kent residents improve their employment prospects, health and wellbeing; support the most vulnerable, address skills gaps in Kent and Medway, boost the local economy and encourage healthy, active communities to grow.

What do these changes mean?

We will be changing the types of courses we offer and where we deliver them.

We will be delivering more courses from community venues close to where they are needed, working with housing associations, healthy living centres and other local organisations who can signpost learners to the courses available.

These changes mean we have had to look at the buildings we use and what might be needed as we prepare for the new model to be implemented from 1st April 2025 and beyond.

Where will I be able to learn?

You will still be able to access your courses for now. From term 2 in January 2025, we will continue to shift our courses to a more vocational focus, as described above, with our new course offer fully available to learners from 1st August 2025.

We understand it will seem like a big change to learners who have returned over many years and relied on long-standing courses to keep in touch with friends and do what they enjoy. The changing funding rules mean KCC is having to adjust the courses we are able to subsidise with our Government funding, but we are encouraging our tutors to explore private tuition where possible.

Some of the buildings we currently use will not be best placed to host the learning and exams needed to deliver the new curriculum and our plan below shows the types of changes we need in each location. This could involve moving out of some buildings, reducing the space we have in others and delivering courses from community venues.

We have looked at how these changes might impact people with protected characteristics and this work continues, so we can be sure that we are delivering for Kent residents.

A summary of the plans for each building or space we currently use to deliver Adult Education courses is below. No final dates have yet been agreed and we will work closely together to minimise disruption for learners while controlling the cost to the Kent council taxpayer.

If you have any questions, please email CLSCustomerRelations@kent.gov.uk and your enquiry will be forwarded as appropriate.

District	Centre	Current dedicated building provision
Ashford District	Ashford Gateway	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Ashford District	Tenterden Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Canterbury District	Canterbury Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Dartford District	Dartford Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Dover District	Deal Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Dover District	Dover (Temporary location at The Well)	Subject to cost no changes proposed to location at Dover Discovery although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer. Alternative delivery venue will only be pursued if reduced space Dover Discovery Centre costs are beyond budget available.
Folkestone and Hythe District	Folkestone (The Cube)	Exploring opportunities to reduce costs in current location to enable continuation within budget available. Alternative delivery venue will be pursued if costs are beyond budget.
Folkestone and Hythe District	Folkestone (Cube Ceramics)	Will no longer be required as a dedicated facility to support service delivery. Planning to close by the end of academic year 2025.
Gravesham District	Gravesend Adult Education Centre	Will no longer be required as a dedicated facility to support service delivery. Planning to close by the end of the academic term in July 2025. Smaller dedicated premises are being secured to support Gravesham offer.
Maidstone District	Oakwood House	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Sevenoaks District	Sevenoaks Adult Education Centre	Will no longer be required as a dedicated facility to support service delivery. Planning to close by the end of the academic term in July 2025. Community provision is being secured to support Sevenoaks offer.
Swale District	Sheppey Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Swale District	Sheerness Gateway	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Swale District	Sittingbourne	Intention to exit the site in 2026 (as leasehold site). Replace with a small, fixed premises for some delivery and exams, JCQ compliant safe and reception.
Thanet District	Broadstairs - The pottery and associated buildings	Change in service as the space in Broadstairs will no longer align with service offer. Broadstairs Library to be used to support service provision from Broadstairs AEC (known locally as Hilderstone). Exam storage will be located temporarily at Hilderstone (Language) College until exam centre is live at Margate.
Thanet District	Margate	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer. CLS looking to make Margate AEC an accredited exam centre (linked to the changes taking place in Broadstairs).
Tonbridge and Malling District	Tonbridge Adult Education Centre	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Tunbridge Wells District	Tunbridge Wells	No changes proposed to location although there may be some reconfiguration of space to align to new offer.
Other	Gillingham	Continue to explore opportunities with Medway Adult Learning.

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Community Learning and Skills Adult Education Centre Plans

Date Published: 20/11/2024

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