Section 1. Introduction and purpose of the document
Introduction
This document sets out the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Skills programmes funding rules for the 2022 to 2023 funding year (1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023). The Skills programmes funding rules consist of the Adult Education Budget (AEB) funding rules, the Free Courses for Jobs (FCFJ) funding rules, Multiply funding rules and the National Skills Fund (NSF) Technical Bootcamps funding rules.
The rules apply to all providers of education and training who receive either devolved AEB funding or delegated FCFJ or NSF Technical Bootcamp funding from the WMCA.
These rules do not apply to apprenticeships, traineeships and/or advanced learner loans.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will continue to fund apprenticeships, traineeships and advanced resident loans for WMCA residents – you can access these separate funding rules on the GOV.UK website.
This document forms part of the terms and conditions of funding of your AEB, FCFJ and/or NSF Technical Bootcamps or Multiply contract, and you must read them in conjunction with your funding agreement.
You must operate within the terms and conditions of the funding agreement, these rules, the Performance Management Framework and the WMCA Coding guidance. If you do not, you are in breach of your funding agreement with WMCA.
All information, including any hyperlinks, was correct when the WMCA published this document. During the 2022/2023 funding year, this document will be kept under review to reflect how we may need to respond to the changing economic context.
The WMCA reserves the right to make changes to these rules and will publish any updated versions on the WMCA website.
Understanding the terminology
The term ‘WMCA’ refers to the West Midland Combined Authority.
When WMCA refers to ‘you’ or ‘providers’, this includes Colleges, Sixth Form Colleges, independent training providers (ITPs), voluntary community sector providers and Local Authorities who receive funding from us to deliver adult education and training to WMCA residents.
WMCA will use the generic term ‘you’ or ‘provider’ unless the requirements only apply to a specific provider type.
We use the term ‘funding agreement’ to include:
- conditions of funding (grant)
- contract for services
We use the terms ‘resident’ and ‘learner’ to cover those whose provision is funded by us.
If we refer to qualifications, either these will be from the Regulated
Qualifications Framework (RQF) or an Access to Higher Education Diploma recognised and regulated by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA).
If we refer to ‘learning aims’, we mean a single episode of learning which could be a regulated qualification, a component of a regulated qualification or non-regulated learning.
If we refer to ‘programmes’, we mean a coherent package of learning which may include regulated qualifications, components of regulated qualifications or non-regulated learning with clearly stated aims supporting agreed outcomes.
Key definitions used and a full glossary of terms is included in Annex A.
Contacting us
You can contact us through our query mailbox at skills.programmes@wmca.org.uk You can also contact your assigned Skills Delivery Officer.
For Multiply queries use mailbox UKSPF@wmca.org.uk@wmca.org.uk
For data queries, you can contact aebdatareturns@wmca.org.uk