From education to employment

New £3 Million Worth of Contracts Awarded

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has announced the provision of an extra £3 million in contracts under the Union Learning Fund to further the cause of work ““ based learning.

A little more than 70,000 more people will end up having access to work-based learning this year as a result of £3m worth of contracts awarded by the LSC under the Union Learning Fund, which enables unions to respond to employers needs by supporting training in literacy and numeracy.

At present, in line with skills initiatives from the Government via both the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) through its “Skills for Life” Strategy and the impetus towards encouraging more vocational education amongst the young learners in the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) “14 ““ 19 Skills Paper” and the “Agenda for Change”, the fund is focused on providing opportunities to gain NVQ qualifications at Levels 1 and 2.

Life Changing Experience

The Union Learning Fund is set to meet a sizeable challenge in the sector. An estimated 3.5 million people in the workforce are unable to read well. To date, more than 170,000 people from 50 trade unions have completed basic skills courses in 4,000 workplaces, demonstrating the vital part that Trade Unions have to play in the developing skills environment.

Pam Vaughan, director of skills for employment at the Learning and Skills Council said: “Many of the individuals who access training funded through the Union Learning Fund find it a life-changing experience. The majority have not taken part in learning since leaving school and the opportunity to gain formal qualifications can give them new-found confidence and enthusiasm in their work.”

Jethro Marsh

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