Adult Education Budget (AEB)
Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) 19+ Funding Offer
City & Guilds offers a wide range of qualifications that are funded by the AEB. These can be found in our funded courses directory.
The Adult Education Budget (AEB), funds qualifications and programmes for learners aged 19+.
Employers and learners can access AEB funding via their local training provider or FE College.
The AEB is a great resource for employers who need to improve the skills of their workforce to meet the future challenges of automation and skills shortages. It can support staff to gain new skills, improve their current level of knowledge in an occupation, or get them ready for an apprenticeship.
AEB can also support individual learners to gain new skills to support their career development or a career change, or to improve progression opportunities in their current job role.
Below are some examples of how the Adult Education Budget can help individuals to progress and employers transform their business. We have included a table at the bottom of this page that shows detailed information about learner eligibility for full or partial funding.
AEB can:
- Fund anyone aged 19-23 to get a full level 2 or 3 qualification, if they don’t already have one. If you are aged 24+ you may need to contribute to some costs.
- Fully fund low waged learners aged 24+ to get a first full level 2 or 3 qualification.
- Fully fund anyone who is unemployed for any qualification or course up to level 2.
- Fully fund any low waged individual, for whom English is not their first language, to improve their language skills and knowledge up to level 2.
- Fully fund English and maths, up to and including level 2, for individuals aged 19 and over, who have not previously achieved a GCSE grade A* - C or grade 4, or higher.
Low wage learners – for 2018, the government has introduced a pilot to allow for a more flexible use of AEB to support employed learners who are on a low wage. The threshold is an annual wage of £15,736.50 or lower.
Traineeships
AEB funds traineeships for unemployed learners aged 19 to 24 years. AEB can also fund additional units, awards and certificates from City & Guilds, as part of the flexible element of a traineeship to support the trainee with occupationally specific knowledge and skills.
Useful links
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Maths & English
AEB fully funds anyone aged 19+ to gain up to a Level 2 qualification in maths or English, if they do not already have one. The list of maths and English qualifications that are eligible to be funded are on our dedicated Maths and English website.
> City & Guilds Maths and English information
ESOL information
AEB fully funds 19+ unemployed learners to access ESOL learning aims. If a learner is employed and starts an ESOL learning aim then the ESFA will co-fund the programme (learner must contribute to the costs), unless the learner earns below the low threshold.
> ESOL
Learner Loans
Available for 19+ learners to access full Certificate and Diploma qualifications at L3 and above.
> 19+ FE Adult Learner Loans
Funding rules
ESFA funding rules, which fully explain what and who is and isn’t funded.
> Adult Education Budget Funding and Performance Management Rules
ESFA information
ESFA technical document explaining the funding formula, rates and policy.
> ESFA Funding Rates and Formula
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