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Margaret Coleman, regional director for
the LSC in Yorkshire and the Humber
In this final issue of LSC News...
As we look ahead to the launch of the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People's Learning Agency, we take stock of some of the achievements and progress made so far in the region in this, the final issue of LSC News.
Since 2001, the LSC in Yorkshire and the Humber has strived to improve the skills of the region's young people and adults to world class standards on behalf of learners and employers.
During the LSC's lifetime, the number of young people in learning has increased year on year, above and beyond the national trend in a region typically characterised by low participation and skills levels.
Did you know?
The latest figures show that the region has also surpassed national trends for Apprenticeship starts, with an increase of 10,000 in Yorkshire and the Humber since 2005-06, a growth of 44% in four years.
Wakefield College's new state-of-the-art
learning facility, the Skills Xchange
Further education provider success rates have increased by more than 10% in five years as have success rates for young people and adults in further education, Apprenticeships and Skills for Life intermediate or advanced programmes. Our continued commitment to improving foundation level skills led to nearly 600,000 people improving their literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) skills by 2008. Over 300,000 went on to achieve a national qualification.
Through Train to Gain employers in the region have trained more staff and been able to offer them more opportunities to acquire qualifications than ever before. Since the programme began in April 2006 almost 60,000 employees in Yorkshire and the Humber have achieved a Level 2 qualification.
Since 2001, we've funded 105 new build and refurbishment projects at 16-18 education providers and FE Colleges, with a further 10 currently in progress. We have also overseen college mergers and recoveries to help strengthen the service to learners and the community.
Together with our partners, we have responded to the changing needs of the region over time, and in our response to the economic downturn, we have helped over 150 employers and 5,000 people made redundant, such as those at Corus.
In the last decade, learning and skills have become widely recognised as critical to the economic prosperity of the region and country. Through the Skills Funding Agency, Young People's Learning Agency and our partners, we will continue to ensure the skills landscape supports economic recovery and future growth.
| © LSC March 2010 |