The Learning and Skills Councils Annual Report and Accounts for ...

Our About Story Us
People ask me what the LSC has
achieved since it was established
in 2001. In response, I would say that
the achievements, which have been
many, are not just ours but are the
result of the expertise and dedication
of many thousands of people.
Since the inception of the LSC, our
total expenditure has amounted
to more than £86 billion, of which
£47 billion has been for young
people, nearly £26 billion for adults
and more than £13 billion on other
joint projects.
These figures represent the
participation of more than 7 million
young people and 27 million adults
over the age of 19 in LSC-funded
programmes between 2002 and
2009 alone.
Despite the well-publicised problems
in managing demand for the capital
programme, the LSC approved 855
capital projects in detail – to a value
of more than £7.2 billion – and
provided approximately £4 billion of
funding. These are big numbers but
the real manifestation of this activity
can be seen in the transformation
of campuses across the country. The
capital investment resulted in the
refurbishment or replacement of half
of England’s entire college estate.
Our chief contribution to the
country, though, has been to create a
consistent approach to the delivery of
further education that previously had
not been possible.
The funding for which we were
responsible has been used to invest
in more than 34 million training
places for young people and adults
in England.
Of particular note is the record
number of young people in education,
recently underpinned by the expansion
of the Education Maintenance
Allowance (EMA) which now helps
more than 600,000 young people.
We have also seen the renaissance
of Apprenticeships; around 3 million
adults have improved their basic skills
in literacy and numeracy; and 1 million
adults have achieved a qualification
through Train to Gain.
Having been a member of the National
Council of the LSC since its creation,
I am pleased to say that we have
delivered on our promises.
The vital part played by vocational
training in the development of the
individual and the economy was an
important theme at our launch and
later formed the basis of the 2007
Skills Campaign under the slogan
Our future. It’s in our hands.
Putting practical flesh on the bones
of our philosophy, Train to Gain
responded to some of the financial
pressures which had previously
prevented companies from investing
in the skills of their workforce.
Bringing together the needs of the
individual and the economy – and
ensuring that all parts of the lifelong
learning sector are working towards
that goal – was the big idea on which
the LSC came into existence in 2001.
It has lived up to that aim.
Our legacy will be the development
of the talent and the ethos which is
continuing in the new bodies which
succeed us – and we wish them
every success.
The introduction of Train to Gain has
seen training being taken up for more
than 1.5 million qualifications since
2006. We recently celebrated the
millionth learner, Chris Scott, a process
operator at chemical manufacturer
William Blythe Limited in Accrington.
Chris completed his NVQ at Level 2
in Business Improvement Techniques
on 29 January this year. He is one of
62 people at the company to have
completed a qualification through
Train to Gain.
LSC Annual Report and Accounts 2009–10 03