Ruth Moxon , Senior Economist, Skills & Employment Unit, June 2025

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) aims to engage adults and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work or other learning. The London Learner Survey (LLS) provides detailed insight into the economic and social outcomes achieved by AEB learners. The survey is of learners who participated in GLA AEB funded training or Free Course for Jobs (FCFJ) programmes. The results shown here are for academic year 2023/24. This dashboard summarises the key data explored in the London Learner Survey 2023/24 report.

In 2024/25 the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) replaced the AEB, however this publication relates to the outcomes achieved by learners participating in the 2023/24 academic year and therefore will still refer to the Adult Education Budget.

The LLS consists of two linked surveys of people participating in GLA-funded Adult Education Budget (AEB) learning:

A baseline survey administered by learning providers when the learner starts their course;
A follow-up survey, administered by IFF Research from approximately five to seven months after the end of learning. This enables the LLS to measure outcomes achieved by learners post-AEB courses.

In 2023/24 233,820 learners enrolled in 487,700 aims* through the devolved AEB in London. The final data is based on a sample of 10,451 learning aims undertaken by 9,708 learners.

The data reported has been weighted and is representative of learning and learners in London, however, the results should be interpreted with caution. Firstly, the surveys are a snapshot meaning that learner outcomes may not be well represented on the days the baseline and follow-up surveys took place. Secondly, these results report changes in social and economic outcomes, but these changes cannot be solely attributed to the impact of AEB learning. For further information on the weighting, sample sizes and methodology see the [LLS report] and technical report. For more information about the AEB learners and courses taken in the academic year 2023/24, please see here.

Headlines

The LLS surveys learners who have participated in AEB-funded courses in London, using a variety of questions to measure both economic and social outcomes. Following their course, 81% of learners are in employment or had started / or were about to start further learning.

Additionally, the survey found that:

The 2023/24 LLS shows that:

The majority (94%) of learners experienced positive social changes (equivalent to around 184,000 learners). The social impact was across a range of metrics, and we estimate that approximately:
- 156,000 learners (80%) experienced an increase in their general wellbeing due to their course.
- 169,000 learners (87%) felt more confident due to their course.
- 151,000 learners (77%) met new people due to their course.
Just under half (44%) of non-retired learners (equivalent to around 77,000 learners) experienced positive economic changes five to eight months after completing their course. Additionally, we estimate that approximately:
- 23,000 (23% of learners out of employment) went into employment.
- 9,000 (18% of employed learners) had an increase in earnings.
- 126,000 (65% of learners) went onto further learning.

The results below are organized by provision type, which includes funding models and learning levels. Additionally, key demographics are highlighted: age, gender, ethnicity, and learner’s disability, learning difficulty, and/or health problem (LLDD).

The AEB is made of up of two funding models: Adult Skills and Community Learning. Adult Skills comprises a range of education services for adults that support individual learning and progression of workplace skills. The majority of learning takes place at Entry Level, however, there is a growing level of participation at Level 3+.

In contrast to Adult Skills, Community learning includes a range of community based and outreach learning opportunities, primarily managed and delivered by local authorities, special colleges and general further education colleges designed to bring together and support adults. Most qualifications in Community Learning are at Other Level.

Economic Outcomes

Positive Economic Outcome

The data shows that many learners were already in employment prior to their learning (34%) but the AEB helps them to gain skills and confidence to progress in their career. In that scenario, and to align with the Mayor’s goal of facilitating access to quality employment and further education, we primarily measure economic outcomes by assessing improvements in learners’ economic situations.

Overall, 44% of learners in the AEB had a positive economic change.

A positive economic change is defined as meaning one of the following situations applies:

A learner has moved into employment;
A learner moved from a temporary job to a permanent job;
Their pay increased;
They have continued onto further training at a higher NVQ level;
They have moved from inactivity to looking for work.

Provision

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24
Note: The AEB also funds a minority of quals at Level 4+, these are not included in the analysis due to limited sample sizes. Retired learners have been excluded as they are not expected to experience an economic change following AEB participation

Demographics

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24
Note: Ethnicities are grouped due to sample sizes. Asian includes individuals from an Asian and Asian British background, Black includes individuals from a Black, African, Caribbean or Black British background, Mixed includes individuals from either a Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Group background. Retired learners have been excluded as they are not expected to experience an economic change following AEB participation

Higher positive economic outcomes are seen for learners doing Adult Skills courses and courses at a higher level, especially those at Level 3. By demographic, higher outcomes are seen for younger learners.

There are small differences in the share of learners experiencing a positive economic outcome by ethnicity, with the exception of Black learners who are considerably more likely to experience a positive outcome. Differences by demographics may be partially explained by type of provision and qualification taken (for more information see the London Learner Survey 2023/24 report.

Progression into employment

For a third of learners (31%) their economic activity status (whether they were employed, unemployed, inactive or a student) changed between the baseline and follow-up survey.

Of those whose economic activity status changed, almost half moved into either employment or full time study. In addition, 23% of learners who were out of employment when they started their courses had moved into employment upon completion of the follow-up survey.

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

A quarter (24%) of out of work Adult Skills learners moved into employment following their course, in Community Learning the figure is 19%. As with the share of learners experiencing a positive economic outcome, there is a clear relationship between the likelihood of moving into employment and the level of study, with more than one third (37%) of out of work learners on Level 3 courses moving into work.

Learners from a Black or White ethnic background are the most likely to have moved into employment (25% and 26% respectively) compared to other learners.

Provision

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Demographics

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Progression within work: Good Work

Ensuring all Londoners have access to good work is a key aspect of the London Growth Plan which was published in February 2025. The AEB is an important pathway for Londoners from disadvantaged backgrounds to be able to access Good Work. To measure progression into good work from the AEB using the LLS, ‘good work’ is defined if the following applies to a learner:

Paid above the London Living Wage;
Works more than 16 hours a week;
On a permanent and non-zero hour contract.

Following their course 31% (or 19,300) learners were employed in good work which is an increase of nearly 3,300 compared to the baseline.

Progression within work: Earnings

Overall, nominal average earnings is estimated to have increased by 9% between the baseline and follow-up surveys. For those earning below the London Living Wage (£11.95 per hour at start of baseline survey, rising to £13.15 from October 2023 and £13.85 from October 2024) in the baseline, 24% were earning above it in the follow-up.

	Baseline	Follow-up	Change
Mean Earnings:	£23,100-£24,400	£25,300-£26,700	9%

Participants in Adult Skills have lower earnings and work fewer hours on average than those doing Community Learning (in both baseline and follow-up).

Around 15% of learners aged 50+ benefited from an increase in income following their AEB course, compared to 30% of those aged 19-23.

Provision

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Demographics

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Progression within work: Hours

Some of the trends in earnings are partly explained by hours worked. Between the baseline and follow-up average hours worked increased marginally from 29.2 to 29.5 hours per week for those in employment.

	Baseline	Follow-up	Change
Mean Hours:	29.2	29.5	0.9%

A larger share of employed learners on Adult Skills courses experienced an increase in hours worked (26%) compared to those in Community Learning (23%). For learners at Level 3, a significant share (31%) saw an increase in hours worked, compared to 25% for all learners in the AEB.

Provision

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Demographics

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Sector and Occupation

The LLS asks learners who are in employment to report their industry and occupation. Following their course 38% of learners were employed in: Human Health and Social Work Activities, Education, and Administrative and Support Service Activities.

At the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year, the London Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) was published for London. Its goal was to set out the blueprint to help Londoners into better higher-paying jobs, by better matching training provision to employer demand.

Whilst the LSIP sets out the priority sectors for skills needs, and identifies where lower-level skills provision can be most impactful, it does not capture the employment opportunities London growth sectors bring. In February 2025, the Mayor of London launched the London Growth Plan (LGP), London’s 10-year ambition for growth, and the actions that will take to make it happen. It includes the sectors and places that London will grow.The sectors that are key to London’s growth, as set out in the LGP, are: financial,professional and business services and technology; creative industries and technologies; international education; experience economy; and frontier innovation.

We have mapped industry of employment to several of the priority sectors set out in the LSIP and the LGP. This shows that 60 per cent of employed learners (45,600 Londoners) were working in either a growth plan or an enabling sector following their course

The sector of employment does not always reflect the types of courses being delivered by providers, instead we will use the ASF data publication to monitor delivery against priority areas.

Industry of employment matched to LSIP and LGP

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

In addition to Industry of employment the LLS allows us to analyse occupation. The top five occupations held by AEB learners in employment during the follow up survey are: Cleaners and Domestics; Care Workers and Home Carers; Kitchen and Catering Assistants; Sales and Retail Assistants; and Teaching Assistants.The types of occupations held by learners demonstrates the level of qualifications held by those participating in AEB – but also shows the important role of adult education in helping Londoners to continue progressing in work and education.

Progression into further learning

As well as improving employment outcomes, the AEB is also a stepping-stone to further and higher learning. The LLS found that this was the case for a substantial proportion of learners; 65% of learners had started or were going to start more study or training.

The likelihood of pursuing further education varies based on the type of course. Community Learning participants exhibit a higher likelihood (69%) of continuing their education compared to those in Adult Skills (63%), mainly due to Community Learners frequently choosing to do additional Community Learning courses.

This trend persists across different levels of learning, with Entry Level and Other Level courses boasting the highest percentage of learners advancing to further education. A significant portion (62%) of Level 3 learners opt for further education despite the substantial time commitment these courses entail (often around one or two years).

Certain demographic characteristics, such as being female, White, or over 50, correlate with a higher likelihood of progressing into further education.

Provision

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Demographics

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

In addition, 39% of further learning was above the level of the previous learning aim the learner studied in the AEB. The survey found the majority of further learning was taking place in FE colleges/institutions, but a significant number of learners went on to study at a higher education institution or start an apprenticeship.

Comparative level of learning for those undertaking further learning

Source: GLA London Learner Survey, 2023/24

Conclusion

The 2023/24 survey provides a strong evidence base to suggest that the AEB is helping transform the lives of Londoners, particularly those who are facing barriers in the labour market. More than 77,000 learners were able to move into employment, progress in their role or start further study following their course. Almost two thirds (62%) of these learners were from Black Asian or Minority ethnic background (48,000 learners). This economic progression was seen across a range of measures:

23% of out of work learners were supported into employment.
60% of employed learners were working in a sector aligned to London’s growth ambitions following their course.
21,000 learners experienced in-work progression, with average incomes rising by 9% for employed learners.
126,000 learners went into or were about to start further study following their course.

The social outcomes from adult education are often overlooked but are of equal importance to the GLA. More than 184,000 learners experienced a positive social outcome following the course - with 156,000 seeing improvements in their health and wellbeing and more than 169,000 learners feeling more confident.

These results also show that the outcomes for learners vary by provision and demographics, this information means that GLA can target provision of the AEB to ensure that the benefits of adult learning are wide reaching and inclusive, regardless of a learner’s backgrounds.

The 2023/24 London Learner Survey Report contains more detailed analysis not included in this summary such as: economic activity status, the distribution of hours and earnings, employment contract types, more details on further learning and on social integration.

More information

*Learning aims can be defined a single enrolment at a provider as represented on the Individualised Learner Record. In some instances, this will represent a single course, although in some situations a course can be made up of multiple aims.

View our full 2023/24 report on the London Learner Survey.

View the technical methodology on how IFF conducted the survey.

For the latest data on the Adult Education Budget in London see our data releases for 2023/24 and for the first half of the academic year 2024/25.

All media enquiries should be emailed to the Mayor’s Press Office, and we will respond as quickly as possible.

For urgent media enquiries outside office hours and at weekends please call: 020 7983 4000 and ask for the duty press officer.

Other enquiries should be emailed to Ruth Moxon.

Greater London Authority • City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London E16 1ZE

London Learner Survey 2023/24

Headlines

Economic Outcomes

Positive Economic Outcome

Provision

Demographics

Progression into employment

Provision

Demographics

Progression within work: Good Work

Progression within work: Earnings

Provision

Demographics

Progression within work: Hours

Provision

Demographics

Sector and Occupation

Progression into further learning

Provision

Demographics

Social Outcomes

Positive Social Outcome

Provision

Demographics

Health and wellbeing

Provision

Demographics

Improved self-efficacy

Provision

Demographics

Improved social integration

Provision

Demographics

Participation in volunteering

Provision

Demographics

Conclusion

More information