Statement of purpose
Coventry Learns is Coventry City Council’s adult learning service, within Skills, Employment and Libraries. We provide accessible learning and skills opportunities that help residents gain essential and vocational skills, progress into or within employment, improve independence and wellbeing, and participate fully in their communities.
Our 2026 to 2027 priorities are shaped by the One Coventry Plan, Coventry Skills Strategy, the West Midlands Combined Authority Employment and Skills Strategy, the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), employer and community intelligence, and national skills priorities.
In 2026 to 2027 we will focus public funding on a limited number of measurable priorities where Coventry Learns can add greatest value: widening participation among residents experiencing disadvantage; strengthening English, mathematics and digital progression; increasing pathways into employment and priority sectors; improving integration through English language learning; strengthening family and inclusive learning; and developing green skills and routes into clean energy and utilities.
Detailed curriculum descriptions sit within our service and curriculum plans; this Accountability Statement concentrates on the changes and outcomes we will deliver in the year ahead aligned to the following priorities:
- Providing a good education up to level 2
- Building strong and inclusive communities
- Supporting residents into employment and supporting career progression
- Meeting future skills needs at level 3 and above through upskilling and reskilling
Service strategic aims and objectives
We will:
- engage and support residents with the highest needs
- take a community place-based approach, targeting the most deprived wards
- provide inclusive, high-quality teaching, learning and assessment
- enable residents to access progression pathways according to needs and goals
- ensure financial viability and sustainability of the educational offer
Service vision
Our vision is to be a city where every individual - regardless of background or circumstance, has equitable access to quality skills, employment and education development and opportunities. By working together with employers, educators, and communities, we will continue to develop inclusive systems that put residents first, tackle inequality, and support a greener, more connected economy.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Context setting
Local, national priorities and needs analysis
Coventry is a diverse and growing city with an estimated population of 365,500 residents. According to the Census 2021, 55.3% of Coventry's total population is White British. This is notably lower than West Midlands (71.8%) and England (73.5%) and shows the proportion of the city population who are of White British ethnicity has fallen from 66.6% in 2011. Coventry has lower employment than the national rate, a higher proportion of adults with no formal qualifications, and a lower proportion qualified to Level 3 or above.
The employment rate between January to March 2026 was 73% compared to 75% nationally in the same period. Educational attainment in Coventry is slightly lower than the national average. For the period 2021 (Census data), 19.4% of Coventry’s population aged 16+ had no formal qualifications compared to 18.2% nationally.
The estimated proportion of young people aged 16 to 24 years not in employment, education or training is slightly higher than the national average (around 15% compared to 13% nationally), and the rate is increasing, with longstanding disparities within the city, particularly in more deprived area.
One of the challenges in Coventry is to increase the number of adults with at least a Level 3 qualification. Only 58.7% hold NVQ Level 3 or above, compared to 61.5% nationally. Currently, some areas, such as Foleshill and Wood End, have comparatively high levels of adults without any qualifications, and large numbers of the workforce have little more than Level 2 (e.g., GCSE grades 9 to 4 or A to C; Level 2 NVQ, intermediate apprenticeship).
(Source: Coventry City Council – Residents by Qualification Level report [https://www.censusdata.uk/e08000026-coventry/ts067-highest-level-of-qualification])
Coventry Learns therefore has a dual role: providing accessible first steps for residents furthest from learning and work, and creating clear progression into qualifications, vocational learning, employment and career development.
Service data
At the time of writing (July 2026), in academic year 2025 to 2026, Coventry Learns achieved 9,921 enrolments from 4,344 learners. 74% of learners were female and 26% male.
Learners living in each of the five most deprived deciles (according to Indices of Multiple Deprivation data) participate at rates higher than the Coventry population average (in total, 32% of the Coventry population and 78% of learners).
Further headline figures for Coventry include:
- estimated population of 365,500
- 15% Local Super Output Areas (LSOAs) rank in the top 10% of most deprived LSOAs nationally
- Coventry employment rate of 73%, compared to 75% nationally
- high educational attainment
- people aged 16 to 65 with no formal qualification in Coventry is 19%, compared to 18% nationally
- Coventry has 59% of residents qualified to at least level 3, compared with 61% nationally
- there has been an increase of adults with at least a level 3 qualification
- Coventry has a high level of adults without a qualification. Large numbers of the workforce have little more than level 2 (for example, GCSE grades 9 to 4 or A* to C, level 2 NVQ, intermediate apprenticeship)
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Coventry Learns learning landscape
Coventry Learns delivers a comprehensive adult learning and skills offer that support residents at every stage of their learning journey, from first-step engagement through to qualifications, employment, apprenticeships, independent living and career progression.
This forms part of a strategic approach to drive inclusive economic growth and respond to local and regional skills needs. All provision provides clear progression pathways whilst ensuring that residents facing educational, economic and social disadvantage can access learning opportunities that support their aspirations and goals.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Local priorities
Coventry City Council One Coventry Plan has three strategic priorities, and we will work to support all 3:
Increasing the economic prosperity of the city and region
We support individuals who want to acquire skills that support their working lives. This includes people requiring new skills, people who are economically inactive or individuals new to Coventry who need help and support to learn, volunteer and/or work.
Improving outcomes and tackling inequalities within our communities
Our learning offers many opportunities for families and individuals to learn skills and behaviours which can support cohesion and healthier lives. Crucially, community learning provides mechanisms to reduce isolation, support mental health recovery and social interaction. This approach supports integration within our communities
Tackling the causes and consequences of climate change
As Coventry adapts to a fairer green future, Coventry Learns aligns activities with the Sustainability and Climate Change Team and Outdoor Education Service, and partner organisations to provide sessions that help individuals and families to navigate the changes and challenges which will impact on the world of work as well as our communities.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Employer and LSIP responsiveness
Curriculum planning will use LSIP priorities, labour-market intelligence and direct engagement with the West Midlands Combined Authority, local employers, Job Shop, DWP, colleges, universities and community partners.
We will build on successful examples of co-design and delivery with employers to meet identified skills needs within the local workforce. These include ‘Brush Up on Your English’ programme contextualised to warehousing and logistics at ParcelForce International Hub, Leadership & Management qualifications in partnership with Co-Operative Society, and Health Care Support Worker courses at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Additionally, programme developments are planned around energy and utilities, early years education and business and professional services to meet identified needs from LSIP and support routes to employment where there are a high volume of vacancies and/or potential growth sectors. For each priority curriculum change, Coventry Learns will record the evidenced need, the partners/employers engaged, the change made to provision, planned learner volume and intended learner outcome.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
National priorities
Nationally, Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, in conjunction with wider post-18 skills approaches are a critical element of the Government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ agenda with many references made to the importance of skills through key Government policy documents.
The White Paper sets out a plan to educate and train the workforce of the future, ensuring people have the skills and knowledge to succeed. Key priorities:
- joined-up skills and employment system to support young people, adults, and employers
- high-quality pathways into further and higher education, including technical and vocational routes
- employer partnerships to align training with labour market needs
- commitment to two-thirds of young people entering higher-level education or training by age 25
- expansion of Skills Bootcamps, Lifelong Learning Entitlement (from 2027), and foundation apprenticeships
There is a wider recognition of the benefits of learning. This reinforces the value of ‘First Step’ adult and community learning, bringing it closer to social prescribing models and contributing to the wider ‘Marmot Principles’ approach adopted by many service areas within the City Council.
There is also a renewed emphasis on the importance of increasing the overall number of workers within the economy with a minimum of a level 3 qualification.
Taken together, these national approaches indicate that Coventry Learns will need to further develop its focus on building accessible learning pathways that raise aspiration and enable the acquisition of life-changing skills, qualifications and/or wider benefits such as improved health and wellbeing.
Learning pathways will clearly identify learners’ starting points and support progression to positive destinations.
In order to increase its contribution to the national skills priorities, Coventry Learns will actively increase its understanding of the skills needs/demands within communities, and how those needs can be met through a multi-agency integrated service approach to meet residents’ future aspirations whether aligned to learning, skills or employment.
| National priority | Proposed Coventry Learns contribution |
|---|---|
| Energy and Utilities industries | 32 enrolments on Energy & Utilities SWAP; green literacy; employer-linked utilities pathways |
| Health | 50 enrolments on Health & Social Care vocational provision (in partnership with Council’s Residential Care Team) |
| Digital and technologies | 550 enrolments on Essential Digital Skills programmes and embedded digital capability, including Artificial Intelligence |
| Professional, Education and business services | 102 Level 3 enrolments on Business Administration; Leadership & Management; Project Management; Early Years, Teaching Assistants |
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Approach to developing the Annual Accountability Statement
This Accountability Statement has been informed by central government, combined mayoral authority, and local plans. These include:
- Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-education-and-skills-white-paper]
- WMCA Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2024 to 2027 [https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/productivity-skills/employment-and-skills-strategy-2024-2027/]
- Coventry Skills Strategy [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/employment-support/coventry-skills-strategy]
- One Coventry Plan [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/strategies-plans-policies/one-coventry-plan]
- Skills, Employment and Libraries Service plan [https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/productivity-skills/employment-and-skills-strategy-2024-2027/]
- Coventry Learns Strategic Plan 2024 to 2027
The service has further developed its plans in response to the Get Britain Working agenda, and the emerging regional priorities from the West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
The Council has strong links with local colleges and private training providers and there is a clear understanding of each other’s priorities and target groups, enabling a collaborative approach across the City with clear progression routes.
Membership of the Coventry Skills Board includes representation from the Department for Work and Pensions, Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Colleges, and Universities. The Board is chaired by the Council’s Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills and Equalities.
Strategic links and partnerships
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Department for Education
- National Careers Service
- Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce
- Coventry College
- University of Warwick
- Coventry University
- University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust
- GMB Union
- CWU Union
- DHL
- ParcelForce
- CV Life
- Co-Operative Society
- The Hill Group
- E.ON.
- SEGRO Limited
- Ashleigh Community and Housing Ltd.
Collaboration with other Council service areas includes:
- Education Services
- Public Health
- Digital Services
- People Services
- Adult Social Care
- Residential Child Care
- Best Start for Life Family Hubs
- Economic Development
- City Services
- Migration and Resettlement Team
- Apprenticeship Team
- Housing and Safer Communities
Voluntary and community sector and social enterprise organisations, and primary and secondary schools across the city, particularly in areas of highest needs.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Our contribution to national, regional and local priorities: 2026 to 2027 objectives
|
Objective |
2025 to 2026 baseline (at time of publication) |
2026 to 2027 target (to be achieved by 31 July 27) |
Review |
Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Reach residents with greatest need |
Learners: 4,344; 78% from 5 most deprived IMD deciles |
Maintain or improve reach:
|
Monthly 1-to-1 and Quality Assurance Board; Monthly senior management meetings; Termly Steering Group |
Place-based inclusion; local priorities |
|
2. Increase English, maths and digital participation and progression |
Enrolment Numbers: English: 802 Maths: 674 Digital: 1115 c.72% positive destinations (at time of publication) defined as: Employment; Further Learning; Independent Living/Personal Progression; Community Participation; Seeking or Preparing to Progress |
Maintain or improve enrolment numbers:
|
As above |
DfE/WMCA essential skills; including digital |
|
3. Progress residents towards work and priority sectors |
Enrolment Numbers: Into Employment: 255 Vocational Quals: 433 Apprenticeship Programmes: 513 c.40% positive destinations (at time of publication) defined as: Further Learning; In paid employment 16 hrs p/wk or less; in paid employment 16 hrs p/wk or more; self employed for 16 hrs p/wk or more |
Maintain or improve enrolment numbers:
|
Termly Steering Group; R14/final ILR |
Get Britain Working; LSIP; priority sectors |
|
4. Launch clean energy/utilities Sector Work-based Academy Partnership (SWAP) |
No baseline data. New business development opportunity for pilot delivery in 2026/27.
|
Deliver at least four employer-informed SWAP cohorts; 32 learner starts, 32 completers and 50% into employment; sustained employment at 6 weeks and 13 weeks |
Quality Assurance Board; Monthly senior management meetings; Termly Steering Group |
Clean energy industries; construction; green jobs |
|
5. Strengthen ESOL integration and progression |
ESOL enrolments 2837 of which: Foundation: 88 Pre-Entry intensive 161 Higher level intensive: 116 Vocational: 323 Mainstream: 2149 c.57% positive destinations (at time of publication) defined as: Employment; Further Learning; Independent Living/Personal Progression; Community Participation; Seeking or Preparing to Progress |
Maintain or improve reach:
|
Monthly 1:1s; Quality Assurance Board; Monthly senior management meetings; Termly Steering Group |
Inclusion, employment and community integration |
|
6. Expand first-step community progression |
Connect to Skills project: Enrolments: 958 ≥72% from 3 most deprived IMD deciles c.50% progression into further learning (at time of publication).
|
Connect to Skills:
|
Monthly 1:1s; Quality Assurance Board; Monthly senior management meetings; Termly Steering Group |
Get Britain Working; place-based participation |
|
7. Strengthen family and inclusive learning outcomes and progression |
Family Learning: Learners: 545 Enrolments: 734 ≥65% from 5 most deprived IMD deciles; c.75% positive destinations (at time of publication) defined as: Employment; Further Learning; Independent Living/Personal Progression; Community Participation; Seeking or Preparing to Progress
|
Maintain or improve reach:
|
Monthly 1:1s; Quality Assurance Board; Monthly senior management meetings; Termly Steering Group |
One Coventry; inclusion/Alternative Provision/SEND where applicable |
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Council statement
This Annual Accountability Statement for 2026 to 2027 was approved by the Head of Skills, Employment and Libraries, Coventry Learns steering group members, and the Cabinet Member with Portfolio responsibility for Education, Skills and Equalities. It sets out Coventry Learns’ key priorities, planned scale of provision and measurable outcomes for the year ahead.
Progress will be monitored through the service’s established performance and governance arrangements and reviewed as part of annual planning. The submitted statement will be published on the Coventry City Council website by 1 December 2026.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
Links to supporting documentation
- One Coventry Plan – Coventry City Council [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/strategies-plans-policies/one-coventry-plan]
- Adult Education Service inspection report – Coventry City Council [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/adult-education/adult-education-service-inspection-report]
- Coventry Learns: Learner Impact 2026 - summary report – Foreword: Adult Learning making a positive difference to residents’ lives [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coventry-learns/coventry-learns-learner-impact-2026-summary-report]
- WMCA Skills and employment and Skills Strategy 2024 to 2027 [https://www.wmca.org.uk/documents/productivity-skills/employment-and-skills-strategy-2024-2027/]
- Get Britain Working White Paper - GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-britain-working-white-paper]
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ
An award-winning service
Coventry Learns was named Inclusive Learning Provider of the Year at the West Midlands Learning Awards 2025, acknowledging our commitment to ensuring that learning opportunities in Coventry are accessible to all, regardless of background or circumstances.
Coventry Learns
Address: Southfields Old SchoolSouth Street
Coventry
CV1 5EJ