Train to Gain

1. Train to Gain A Plan for Growth

2. Train to Gain is ... • A service to support employers of all sizes in all sectors to improve the skills of their employees to raise business performance; • A commitment to jointly invest in training – between employers and government; • Government provides free skills brokerage and fully or partly subsidised training.

3. ProgressSignificant progress since national launch in August 2006 ... • Major transformational change for employers and the sector (including the LSC); • More than 52,000 employers engaged (target 47,000); • Over 100,000 learner achievements (above profile); • Over 70% employers “hard to reach” (target 51%); • Employer satisfaction with brokers over 80%; • Positive attitudes of learners to future learning; • 95% of brokers achieved new professional standard; ... but also inevitable teething problems and performance issues to be addressed • 250,000 employees trained (75% of profile).

4. Lessons Learned (1) • 12 months of experience of live Train to Gain; • Extensive consultation with key stakeholders and deliverers; • Research into the Train to Gain experience, eg attitudes of learners, providers and employers. Four thematic reviews by LSC covering: • Role of Skills Brokers; • Supply side and their role in generating demand; • Bureaucracy and streamlining contracting and procurement processes; • Relevance of Train to Gain to individual sectors.

5. Lessons Learned (2) • Transforming the sector takes time and investment; • Need to expand the best providers quicker; • Train to Gain wrongly promoted as a service just for Skills for Life and Level 2; • Confusion for employers over eligibility and subsidy; • Sector Skills Councils frustrated by emphasis on “firstness and fullness” and lack of funding for higher level skills; • Too much regional variation in service and performance; • Too little focus on those returning to work with skills needs; • Playing catch-up after a slow start is hard.

6. The Scale of the Challenge and Investment – Funding and Volumes (provisional)

7. The Strategy for Growth Need to adopt a new strategy with four main accelerators: • A New Offer to Employers; • A stronger network of Train to Gain providers; • An intensive approach to lifting performance and ensuring consistency across the LSC; • Clearer communication of the Train to Gain service and why employers need to invest more in skills.

8. Where will growth come from? • Refocus Skills Brokers on more medium-sized businesses; • Expand NES to target 200 companies from FTSE 500; • Regional account managers for larger employers; • Lifting provider employer engagement; • Sector Skills Pledge Compact to raise demand through shared investment and action; • Leadership and Management Expansion to 14,000 businesses a year; • Local Employment Partnership.

9. Plan for Growth • The Plan for Growth launches the next period of growth to 2010 – Actions, flexibilities, start dates, investments and impacts; • Tailored documents for employers, providers and brokers; • Briefing for key supporters including CBI, IoD, TUC, RDAs and AoC/ALP; • Briefing for key delivery partners including SSCs, JCP and unionlearn who have important roles to play; • Ministerial launch in November plus inputs to partner conferences.

10. Train to Gain is here to stay. • It’s the service to support all employers to improve the skills of their employees.