Adult education provided by Norfolk County Council is at risk of closure if it does not improve, following a damning Ofsted report.
The stark message comes after the Adult Education Service was branded 'inadequate' following a week-long inspection.
Services it offers include apprenticeships, programmes for 16-18-year-olds after leaving school, and work to help people gain skills to boost their job prospects, as well as courses on yoga, needlecraft and foreign languages.
The council said the Education Funding Agency, which funds work with young people, had already indicated 'there will be some changes to funding', but not revealed the details yet, and all government funding would stop if it did not improve.
The service will be re-inspected next year, and Richard Bearman, who chairs the council's adult education steering group, said: 'A reported 'inadequate' is likely to lead to closure of the service. That is a very strong risk to the council at the moment.'
Yesterday's report said outcomes for learners 'requires improvement', the quality of teaching, learning and assessment 'requires improvement', while leadership and management was 'inadequate'.
The inspection team, led by Jon Bowman, wrote: 'Over the last three years outcomes for learners have declined in most areas of learning, particularly in English and mathematics functional skills and for learners aged 16-18.'
It added 'not enough young people take part in work experience placements, which hinders the development of their work-related skills and knowledge'.
The report said learners aged 16-18, and those with a declared learning disability, perform less well than other groups.
However, it said those from rural and isolated communities 'meet other people, make friends and overcome isolation', older learners 'realise their ambitions of taking up new hobbies and remaining active', and learners in foreign language and creative arts are 'rightly proud of the high standard of work they produce'.
Paul Smyth, chairman of the council's Communities Committee, said: 'It should be remembered this disappointing report includes a period when the service underwent significant change and suffered cuts in finance and staff. However, the County Council fully accepts it needs to make improvements to the service, and it has already begun to address the concerns raised by the inspection.
'This includes establishing an improvement team to tackle identified weaknesses.
'Our immediate priorities include raising qualification success rates and improving the recording of progress and achievement in community learning, as the Adult Education Service in Norfolk has a key role in supporting learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, rural communities and others who need help in overcoming personal barriers to finding employment.'
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