Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
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Hundreds of employers bid for £250m skills training pilot
The Government has received 269 bids from employers looking
to take part in a new pilot to design and develop their own
vocational training programmes, Skills Minister John Hayes
announced today.
The Employer Ownership pilot invited the first round of bids
earlier in the year for a share of the £250 million fund which
will route public investment directly to employers – enabling them
to invest in the training and skills development they need to grow
their business.
Mr Hayes said:
“Skills are central to the UK economy and our long-term
competitiveness and we're making excellent progress with
the biggest apprenticeship programme in modern history.
“That's why the Government has put building
workforce capabilities through training at the heart of our
economic strategy.
“But there's always more to do and because we know
the skills system must be demand driven, we're determined
to put employers in the driving seat. With unprecedented focus and
funding we'll match and beat competitor nations who have
always valued vocational education.
“This pilot fund will give employers the space and
opportunity for greater ownership of the vocational skills agenda
encouraging innovation and new thinking as we provide the platform
for sustainable growth.”
Testing the impact of greater employer ownership of the
vocational training agenda is the key objective of the pilot. The
vision of greater employer ownership has been championed by the UK
Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) – a non-departmental
public body that provides strategic leadership on skills and
employment issues.
Charlie Mayfield, Chairman of the UK Commission for
Employment and Skills and the John Lewis Partnership, said:
“The pilots are all about encouraging innovation and
partnership in an area that is critical to the growth and success
of our economy. I look forward to seeing what changes we can start
to make as a result of these investments.”
The winners of the bids will be announced later in the year.
Notes to Editors 1. The competitive fund will route
public investment directly to employers and will be backed by
significant resources from existing skills budgets. Up to £250m is
available over the next two years, subject to evidence of
high-quality proposals from employers and ongoing evaluation.
2. Bids are seeking a total of around £400m of public
investment in this first round of the pilot.
3. We will make a decision in the coming months regarding the
timing of round two following an evaluation of the success of the
first round.
4. A good spread of bids has been received from across the
English regions and from different sectors, with a good number of
bids from the small and mid-sized business community.
5. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press
notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It
also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom
for more information.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Ashley Rogers.
Phone: 020 7215 5971
ashley.rogers@bis.gsi.gov.uk