Member Article

Training scheme under fire

A government scheme designed to improve the skills of UK workers has come under harsh criticism this week.

The Train to Gain programme has cost almost £1.5 billion since it began in 2006, and has not provided “good value for money”, according to the National Audit Office.

The NAO said that Train to Gain’s initial targets were set at an ‘unrealistically ambitious’ level, and that the scheme’s efficiency was reduced through inconsistent implementation.

Take up was much lower than expected at first, and learners’ success rates have varied “substantially”, it was found.

The report was, however, complimentary about Train for Gain’s achievements, crediting the scheme with supporting more than a million learners and developing a skills service which had brought “undoubted benefits” to employers.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “Train to Gain is achieving growth in training that employers value, but taxpayers have a right to expect that much more than half of the public funding should result in training that would not otherwise have occurred.

“Inconsistent management contributed to a slow start to the programme, followed by rapid growth and now the risk of demand exceeding budgets.

“We also need to see evidence that money is directed more to areas of greatest need, with training providers who do the best job for their learners and on bringing the whole range of business benefits to employers.”

Chris Roberts, Chief Operating Officer (Interim) at LSC North East, said: “Since Train to Gain was launched just over two and a half years ago, the serviced has engaged with more than 10,000 employers in the region and helped more than 60,000 learners achieve a range of qualifications to help them improve their prospects at work and their chances in life.

“The success rate for learner achievement through Train to Gain in the North East is one of the highest in the country with more than 75% of those who start learning achieving a formal qualification.

“Our experience has shown that employers value Train to Gain as a cost effective way for them to meet their training needs and, for many, the only way that they would have been able to benefit from workforce development.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .