The gift which keeps on giving

Learn brand new skills with the Perfect Gift.

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the LSC have recently launched a new and unique scheme that enables people to buy gift vouchers towards the cost of Further Education (FE) courses for the first time.

The pilot project was launched in October in nine colleges across England including York College. It is aimed at promoting FE courses as 'the Perfect Gift' for people to give to friends and family, to help loved ones learn brand new skills. The trial comes as new research reveals that over half (56%) of people would like to receive a gift voucher for a training course as a present.

The ICM research, commissioned by DIUS, also showed that receiving a voucher for a course was the third most popular gift people in Yorkshire and the Humber would like to be given.

David Lammy, Minister for Skills, launched the pilot scheme and said: "The Perfect Gift pilot is a superb example of the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the FE sector. Enabling people to purchase vouchers for courses is a simple but effective way to make learning, and the benefits of learning, even more accessible to everyone."

The gift vouchers can be used to enrol on a variety of courses available at participating colleges and are redeemable during the 2007-2008 academic year. Each gift voucher has a value of £50 and may cover the full course cost or a contribution towards it.

In addition to York College, DIUS and the LSC are working with Chichester College, New College Nottingham, Blackpool and Fylde College, Gateshead College, College of North East London, West Hertfordshire College, Filton College (Bristol) and Warwickshire College.

Linda Siegle, joint chief executive of the Campaign for Learning, commented: "This is an excellent initiative which supports our own objectives of encouraging family members to help loved ones in developing their skills through engaging in learning. We believe this straightforward yet effective idea will prove extremely popular and we look forward to hearing how the initiative develops."

Other findings from the research revealed a little more about people's spending habits when it comes to gifts:

• One in ten (13%) people in Yorkshire and the Humber would most like to receive a training course as a gift.
• The average amount people usually spend on gifts for close family members is £75.
• More than half (53%) of people in Yorkshire and the Humber consider a training course a worthwhile investment.