Personal Skills Accounts on Course for Next Autumn

13 Jan 2010

by: Margaret Snell

Initial evaluation of a pilot scheme to improve access to information about training courses and show learners how much Government funding is available to them shows that personal skills accounts have a number of benefits, including encouraging people to take up and complete courses.

Ninety-four per cent of people who responded to the user survey agreed that skills accounts are a good idea and 80 per cent of respondents said having a skills account would encourage them to take part in future learning.

The findings will help the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) ensure skills accounts are rolled out from autumn 2010. They form an important part of the skills strategy, Skills for Growth, launched by ministers last November.

Skills accounts will help people assess their skills, interests and qualifications, understand the level of funding available to them, access detailed information about career options and choose a suitable course. Part of the Government’s Skills for Growth strategy includes trebling the number of organisations offering places where skills accounts can be used to 1500, allowing students to shop around for training. This will be backed by information on which courses and colleges will best meet individual needs.

Chris Banks, Chairman of the Learning and Skills Council, said: “During the trials the LSC is working closely with learners to ensure that the service is designed to meet their needs.  The ambitious plans set out in Skills for Growth mean that in future all adults, including those who need new skills to find sustainable employment, will be able to access a personal skills account. Trebling the number of organisations where skills accounts can be used demonstrates a real commitment to putting learner’s needs at the heart of the skills system.”

 

 

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