Priorities Letter Issued to Skills Funding Agency - June 2010

Secretary of State Issues Priorities Letter to Skills Funding Agency - June 2010

On June 17th 2010, Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, wrote to Geoff Russell, Chief Executive, Skills Funding Agency, outlining how government funding for 2010-11 should be spent. The letter in full can be downloaded using the weblinks below.

The key priorities to highlight included:

1. Supporting progression and strengthen the supply of technician level skills, particularly through level 3 apprenticeships
2. Reducing the number of 18-24 year olds who are not in employment, education or training by funding a wide range of routes into further and higher education
3. Securing the provision of high quality training opportunities to help unemployed people get the skills needed for work-readiness, sustainable employment and progression in learning and work
4. Providing independent careers guidance to enable people to make better choices about their future
5. Develop a programme of Lifelong Learning Accounts to create informed and empowered learners, with a thirst for learning and new knowledge, who can seek out new and inspiring opportunities to improve their live
6. Encouraging an increasing number of people to participate in adult and community learning, both to re-engage those disenchanged by previous educational experience and act as an entry point for further learning and to offer people opportunities to enrich their lives through learning
7. Implementing sector-based joint investment proposals in high-growth and dynamic areas of the economy and contrinute to the development of a new growth and innovation fund

There will also be a refocussing of £200m of Train to Gain funding to other areas including £150m to deliver 50,000 additional Apprenticeship places focussed on SMEs, and £50m for capital investment in FE colleges.

LINKS
Read more at the BIS website
Skills Funding Agency Homepage