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

This comes on top of another
achievement which is all too easy to
forget: namely, the nearly 2.4 million
adults in the workforce who gained a
Level 2 (GCSE-equivalent) qualification
and the 2.8 million adults who
improved their basic skills between
2001 and 2008 – demonstrating our
commitment to personal growth
and development as well as skills
for employment.
More than £1 billion a year of public
money is spent on provision for
people with learning difficulties
and/or disabilities – and we have
always regarded this group as
a priority.
We now live in a country where eight
in ten people will succeed in achieving
the qualification they are working
towards – this is a 20 per cent increase
in success rates since 2001.
I have no doubt that these figures are
the fruit of a better sector than that
which existed before 2001. Ofsted
inspected 113 colleges this year. It
classed over 70 per cent as good or
better. In the few which have yet to
meet these standards, strong plans for
improvement are in place.
Of course, the country benefits most
from such improvement, socially and
economically, if all sections of society
are included. A modern economy
cannot thrive if some people are left
behind and are therefore unable to
contribute fully.
For this reason, I am pleased to say
that the LSC’s contribution to equality
has been exemplary. It was named as
one of the 10 most-improved public
sector organisations against the Race
Equality Standard, achieving the Gold
Award. It also achieved the Silver
Award against the Disability Standard
and Opportunity Now benchmarks.
Under the banner of Skills for Life,
the strategy launched in 2001, more
than 5.7 million people have been
supported on 12 million courses to
improve their literacy and numeracy.
This includes the work we have done in
the provision of English for speakers of
other languages.
In conclusion,
I believe the
sector has
provided
successfully for
learners of all
abilities.
The hard work of the students and
trainees for whom we have been
responsible and their desire to
re-invent themselves through skills
training and find stimulation through
academic study have contributed
to a more self-confident, fairer and
cohesive society than the one that
existed when the LSC was first set up.
That is a legacy to be proud of.
Christopher N Banks CBE
Chairman
Learning and Skills Council
19 July 2010
04 LSC Annual Report and Accounts 2009–10