Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009

256 Further education corporations in England: co-operation and promotion of well-being

(1) The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (c. 13) is amended as follows.

(2) In section 19 (supplementary powers of a further education corporation), after subsection (8) add—

“(9) A further education corporation may provide advice or assistance to any other person where it appears to the corporation to be appropriate for them to do so for the purpose of or in connection with the provision of education by the other person.”

(3) After that section insert—

“19A Duty in relation to promotion of well-being of local area

(1) This section applies to a further education corporation established in respect of an educational institution in England.

(2) In exercising their functions under sections 18 and 19, the corporation must—

(a) have regard, amongst other things, to the objective of promoting the economic and social well-being of the local area, and

(b) in doing so, have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State about co-operation with a view, directly or indirectly, to advancing that objective.

(3) In subsection (2)—

(a) the reference to the well-being of an area includes a reference to the well-being of people who live or work in the area;

(b) “co-operation”, in relation to a further education corporation, means any form of co-operation, including consulting, seeking advice or assistance from, providing advice or assistance to, or collaborating or otherwise participating in joint working with, other educational institutions, employers or other persons (who may be, or include, persons outside the local area).

(4) In this section, “the local area”, in relation to a further education corporation, means the locality of the institution in respect of which they are established.

(5) Nothing in this section is to be taken to affect the operation of section 49A.”