Devolved learner moving to a non-devolved college. Who pays?

Hi Simon

I think that neither will fund this. The DfE funding rules state that funding eligibility is only for individuals that are resident of non-devolved areas.

Devolved authorities procure delivery from providers and colleges through a commissioning process and if you do not have a contract for services as a  raining provider or a grant for colleges and other grant funded institutions then they will not be funded through that DA. I think that the expectation would be that you would refer the individual to someone within that Devolved Authority who can offer the course or signpost to the DA. 

The important part is what contract the non devolved provider has rather than where delivery is taking place.

If it’s only non devolved then yes the learner who lives in a devolved area would not be fundable.

Thanks Paul and Kelly.  The course isn't on offer in the DA where she lives.  

She could rent a house near the college she wants rather than living on campus.  She would then be funded as her address would then not be in a DA and she'd be eligible for DfE funding...

It is quite a flaw in the devolution arrangement.

I think one of the things that we have to accept with devolution is that that DAs are increasingly prescribing what they want to purchase in terms of the courses being delivered/offered. DAs should have a good understanding of what the local economy / population need in terms of upskilling and they will commission on that basis. There will be some issues like this where individual / micro-regional needs are not met but the pressure on budget also means that they will have to prioritise. I get that is not ideal for the individual in this case but that is the direction of travel. 

Not to derail too much, but I *suspect* that, as we reach full/nearly full devo, it will get easier for adjacent DAs to come to what we used to call "Out of County" learner agreements, in fact I think GMCA/LCRCA have already got a bit of a one... Although, if they're going far enough to require residential, that might be a little more complicated...