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Train to Gain scheme reaches 1 million workers

The Government yesterday announced that one million adults have benefited from the Train to Gain scheme, its flagship initiative to improve the basic skills of employed adults.

Train to Gain is the flagship service for employers of all sizes and sectors in England which want to improve workforce skill levels. Since being rolled out in 2006 Train to Gain has been used by 175,000 employers and the Government is investing £1bn through the scheme in 2010-11.

Minister of State for Further Education, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, Kevin Brennan, was joined on stage at the Govnet Integrating Employment & Skills 2010 Conference by the millionth learner, Chris Scott, and his employer, Tim Hughes.

Kevin Brennan MP said:

“Over one and a half million qualifications have been started through Train to Gain since 2006. This is a scheme which has increased the productivity in businesses and given tens of thousands of employees the opportunity to improve their skills. Both of these things are crucial for the long-term strength of the economy.

“Today I'm able to tell you that I can announce that one million people have gained a qualification through Train to Gain.”

The millionth learner, Chris Scott, is a process operator at chemical manufacturer William Blythe Ltd, in Accrington. He completed his level 2 NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques on January 29 this year.

Chris Scott said:

“It's given me the knowledge of how to improve things in our business, and given me skills I never had. It's helped me a lot.”

Chris is one of 62 employees at William Blythe Ltd who have completed a qualification through Train to Gain and the firm's managing director, Tim Hughes, praised the scheme.

Tim Hughes said:

“We've seen a real improvement in flexibility, and that increased flexibility has improved productivity. And obviously when you do a major training programme as we have seen a tremendous improvement in staff morale and that's come through as an improvement of the business.”

Delegates also heard from David Cragg, interim chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency. He said the newly created agency would raise the issue of demographics, making employers better aware of the implications of their ageing workforces. Simon Waugh, chief executive officer of the National Apprenticeship Service, called for more apprentices in the public sector.

Chris Humphries CBE, chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, said the country is not creating enough highly skilled jobs for the number of highly skilled workers. He suggested employers should make more use of training to move themselves up the “value chain”, creating higher skilled jobs in the process.

Contact:
Amy Green,
Marketing Manager
Integrating Employment & Skills Conference 2010
P: 0161 211 3028
M: 07 977 549 432
Email: amy.green@govnet.co.uk. amy.green@govnet.co.uk

Notes for Editors:

The GovNet Integrating Employment & Skills Conference 2010 took place on Thursday 4th March at the QEII Conference Centre, Westminster. 400 public sector stakeholders gathered to discuss both recently introduced and forthcoming changes to the government’s skills, training and employment agenda.

Speakers at the conference included:

Kevin Brennan MP, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
David Willetts MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation and Skills
Chris Humphries CBE, Chief Executive, UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Adam Sharples, Director General - Employment, Department for Work and Pensions
David Cragg, Interim Chief Executive, Skills Funding Agency
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive Officer, The National Apprenticeship Service
Susan Anderson, Director of Public Services and Skills, Confederation of British Industry
Adrian Thomas, Head of Resourcing, Network Rail
Lord Archy Kirkwood, Former Chair, Work and Pensions Select Committee (Conference Chair)
Matilda Gosling, Senior Manager for Research and Policy, City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development
Ali Hadawi, Principal at Southend Adult Community College

Additional information can be found on the website: www.govnet.co.uk/IES

For audio files and speaker photographs from the plenary room, please contact Amy Green on 0161 211 3028 or amy.green@govnet.co.uk