Train to Gain: Developing the Skills of the Workforce

HC 248, Sixth Report of Session 2009-10 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:

House of Commons - Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher:

TSO (The Stationery Office)

Train to Gain has delivered a substantial expansion of training that is flexible and meets employer's needs. By July 2009, 1.4 million learners had been supported and around 200,000 employers had staff involved in training through the programme.

However there have been serious weaknesses in the way the programme has been managed by The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), an executive non departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It started badly with over-ambitious targets and under-spending in the first two years as the programme failed to sufficiently expand demand for, and supply of, training. In year three, eligibility for training was widened which together with the recession increased the attractiveness of the programme for employers. At the same time training providers were still being pressed to increase training activity.

These factors led to a swing from under-spend to overspend, resulting in the current unacceptable position where too much training is in the pipeline and employers with new requirements are being turned away. Three common failings in public sector programmes are responsible for this situation:

• initially high targets that do not reflect reality as they are not based on evidence of what is achievable;

• action to address under-performance that takes insufficient account of trends in demand and capacity and economic factors, such as recession; and

• poor, untimely management information, making it difficult to identify and respond to problems quickly.

For Train to Gain, the priority is to bring expenditure under control while minimising damage to training providers and the demand for training.

Extent	38 pages	ISBN	9780215543363
Size	A4	Price	£11.00
Binding	Paperback	Published	21 Jan 2010
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges

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