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Learning and Skills Council
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The Learning and Skills Council is a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Department of Children, Schools and families in England. Until June 2007, it was sponsored by to the former Department for Education and Skills). The LSC is responsible for planning and funding further education (post-16 education and training other than higher education) in England and was established in April 2001, under the Learning and Skills Act 2000. In 2006 it had an annual budget of £10.4 billion. It was described as Britain's largest Quango.
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Encyclopedia
The Learning and Skills Council is a non-departmental public body jointly sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Department of Children, Schools and families in England. Until June 2007, it was sponsored by to the former Department for Education and Skills). The LSC is responsible for planning and funding further education (post-16 education and training other than higher education) in England and was established in April 2001, under the Learning and Skills Act 2000. In 2006 it had an annual budget of £10.4 billion. It was described as Britain's largest Quango. On 17 March 2008 the abolition of the LSC was announced; funding responsibilities for 16-19 year old learners will transfer to local education authorities and a new Skills Funding Agency will distribute funding for adult learners in Further Education colleges.
The LSC replaced the Training and Enterprise Councils and the Further Education Funding Council for England. The equivalent body in Wales was ELWa.
Organisation
The LSC has a national office in Cheylesmore House, Cheylesmore, Coventry, 9 regional offices and 47 local Learning and Skills Councils. The LSC's national office is not a typical headquarters - its main role is to produce guidelines and targets for local offices.
It was announced in 2005 that the LSC's organisation structure would change as part of the Agenda for Change programme, creating a streamlined configuration with more focus on the regional dimension. Although management and administration has been restructured on regional lines, the 47 local Learning and Skills councils were retained.
Around 1300 jobs were lost, 500 from the Coventry HQ, the remainder from local offices. The restructuring process was challenged by the PCS Union, with a strike that took place on 28 April, 2006, and a work-to-rule commencing in May 2006. The work-to-rule ceased on the 26 June, 2006 after PCS and LSC representatives reached agreement.
Since Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair, a number of Ministerial and Departmental changes have taken place. The new Prime Minister announced the creation of three new government departments: the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF),Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
The machinery of Government announcement heralded the end of the LSC by July 2010 making way for the Young People Learning Agency and the Skills Funding Agency, reporting to DCSF and DIUS respectively. These changes start from April 2009.
See also
External links
News items
- 28 March 2008, LSC:
- 13 February 2008, BBC:
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