You are here: Home |
News |
Theme Partnerships |
Skills Partnership |
Improving Skills in Hartlepool
Latest News
Improving Skills in Hartlepool
Published: Wednesday 9th December 2009
The work being done by partners to improve the learning and skills opportunities for young people and adults in Hartlepool has been praised in a new report.
Hartlepool's area assessment, which sets out how local public services are working together to tackle the major issues facing the people of Hartlepool, has highlighted that young people are doing better at school and adults are also improving their skills.
This comes as recent figures show that Hartlepool's adults and young people are becoming increasingly involved in learning and achieving more qualifications.
The number of adults achieving qualifications in the workplace through the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Train to Gain service has increased buy 10% in the past two years from 74% in 20006/7 to 84% in 2080/9.
Most young people are in learning or work with a year on year reduction in the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training which, at only 7.9%, is lower than similar areas and in line with national average.
Over the past four years, more young people achieved a Level 2 (69.3%) and Level 3 (41.4) qualifications by the age of 19, which is better than similar areas and in line with the national average.
Major investment has been taking place in improving learning opportunities in Hartlepool to further motivate people to get qualifications and develop their skills.
The LSC has invested £20.7million in a brand new sixth form college and the town is also to benefit from LSC investment of £38 million for a new FE College right in the heart of the town following the announcement earlier this year that it was one of only 13 FE colleges in the country to receive LSC capital funding.
Chris Roberts, Regional Director, LSC North East, said: "The work that we have been doing with our key partners in Hartlepool has greatly improved the opportunities people have to develop their learning and skills and this has been recognised in the area assessment.
"The huge capital investment in the learning infrastructure will provide the people of Hartlepool with modern, state of the art facilities in which to learn, motivating them even more to get qualifications and develop their skills further. It can only serve to raise the aspirations of young people and adults. More young people than ever before are involved and improving their skills and qualifications and this major investment will serve to encourage even more people into learning.
"The area report has highlighted that more young people are leaving school and college better equipped for work; young people are doing better at school than in the past and that more adults are taking training and getting qualifications and, on some measures, making more progress than regionally and nationally
"Improvements have clearly been made in improving skills but more needs to be done to provide employers with a workforce equipped with the skills they need to be able to compete and succeed.
"There are still many with no qualifications or only low level qualifications in the area and a low percentage of few people with high levels needed to drive competitiveness. This is a key focus for the government and one of the main themes in the recently published skill White Paper, Skills for Growth, is about increasing the number of people with higher level skills."
ENDS
Editor's notes:
The LSC exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. We are responsible for planning and funding high-quality vocational education and training for everyone. We have a single goal: to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to world-class standards. Our vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England have the knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. Established in 2001, we work nationally, regionally and locally from a network of offices across the country.
Media contact:
Ann Barnes, Regional Press Officer, 0191 492 6355, email ann.barnes@lsc.gov.uk
This comes as recent figures show that Hartlepool's adults and young people are becoming increasingly involved in learning and achieving more qualifications.
The number of adults achieving qualifications in the workplace through the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Train to Gain service has increased buy 10% in the past two years from 74% in 20006/7 to 84% in 2080/9.
Most young people are in learning or work with a year on year reduction in the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training which, at only 7.9%, is lower than similar areas and in line with national average.
Over the past four years, more young people achieved a Level 2 (69.3%) and Level 3 (41.4) qualifications by the age of 19, which is better than similar areas and in line with the national average.
Major investment has been taking place in improving learning opportunities in Hartlepool to further motivate people to get qualifications and develop their skills.
The LSC has invested £20.7million in a brand new sixth form college and the town is also to benefit from LSC investment of £38 million for a new FE College right in the heart of the town following the announcement earlier this year that it was one of only 13 FE colleges in the country to receive LSC capital funding.
Chris Roberts, Regional Director, LSC North East, said: "The work that we have been doing with our key partners in Hartlepool has greatly improved the opportunities people have to develop their learning and skills and this has been recognised in the area assessment.
"The huge capital investment in the learning infrastructure will provide the people of Hartlepool with modern, state of the art facilities in which to learn, motivating them even more to get qualifications and develop their skills further. It can only serve to raise the aspirations of young people and adults. More young people than ever before are involved and improving their skills and qualifications and this major investment will serve to encourage even more people into learning.
"The area report has highlighted that more young people are leaving school and college better equipped for work; young people are doing better at school than in the past and that more adults are taking training and getting qualifications and, on some measures, making more progress than regionally and nationally
"Improvements have clearly been made in improving skills but more needs to be done to provide employers with a workforce equipped with the skills they need to be able to compete and succeed.
"There are still many with no qualifications or only low level qualifications in the area and a low percentage of few people with high levels needed to drive competitiveness. This is a key focus for the government and one of the main themes in the recently published skill White Paper, Skills for Growth, is about increasing the number of people with higher level skills."
ENDS
Editor's notes:
The LSC exists to make England better skilled and more competitive. We are responsible for planning and funding high-quality vocational education and training for everyone. We have a single goal: to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to world-class standards. Our vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England have the knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and are part of a truly competitive workforce. Established in 2001, we work nationally, regionally and locally from a network of offices across the country.
Media contact:
Ann Barnes, Regional Press Officer, 0191 492 6355, email ann.barnes@lsc.gov.uk
