The Black Country Learning and Skills Council aims to support the regeneration of the Black Country by encouraging the development of the skills that will be needed in a transformed Black Country economy and society. In practice this means:
- To support the regeneration of the Black Country by improving the participation and achievement of young people and raising their aspirations
- To support the regeneration of the Black Country by raising the level of skills of adults
- To support the regeneration of the Black Country by ensuring that learning provision is of high quality and is relevant to the current and future needs of employers, learners and potential learners
Organisational Purpose
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England, including further education and sixth form colleges, work-based training (e.g., Apprenticeships), and adult & community learning, but excluding universities and Higher education provision funded in Colleges. It is funded by the Department for Education.
The LSC’s policy context is primarily the National Skills Strategy, Skills for Life (the national basic skills strategy) and 14-19 educational strategy. Its mission is “to raise participation and attainment through high quality education and training which puts learners first”. The vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England will have world class knowledge and productive skills. Priorities include tackling basic skills, increasing the numbers achieving a first full Level 2 qualification (a qualification equivalent to 5 GCSEs grade A* – C), and supporting progression to higher level skills and qualifications. To achieve its goals, it seeks to transform the quality and effectiveness of learning and skills provision.
The LSC operates through 47 local Learning and Skills Councils (LLSCs) and a national office in Coventry. Each LLSC is governed by local representatives of employers, learning providers, trades unions and the voluntary sector. They work with local partners to deliver “local solutions to local needs”. They have a planning role, both locally and feeding into regional and national plans and policies, as well as a responsibility for delivery and contract management. There are seven LSCs in West Midlands: Birmingham & Solihull; Coventry & Warwickshire; Hereford & Worcestershire; Shropshire; Staffordshire; and The Black Country. A Regional Director is responsible for the LSC’s interface with partners at regional level, notably through the Regional Skills Partnership.
Common Purpose with LSPs
- LSCs contribute to local targets for improving educational attainment and skills and towards ‘worklessness’ targets. The LSC is expected to encourage young people from all backgrounds to gain the qualifications and aspiration for higher education.
- In any LSP area, the LSC is the largest funder of training and education for people aged over 16. It has a significant role to play in implementing 14-19 educational reforms, working with local authorities to ensure that a full range of curriculum choices are available. (During 2005-06 Black Country Learning and Skills Council will be spent over £200 million on supporting local people to gain new skills and helping employers to develop their workforce to ensure a successful future for the Black Country.)
- It shares LSP interests in developing and implementing adult learning strategies, including improving access to education and training, increasing social inclusion, and developing the skills and knowledge of residents, practitioners, etc, who deliver neighbourhood services.
- LSCs have a budget for Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities, to support voluntary and community organisations in developing their capacity to deliver learning for residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
- In funding Learning Partnerships, LSCs meet their duty to sustain in every locality partnerships promoting provider collaboration and maximising the input of learning to regeneration.
- Cross-cutting interests include equal opportunities, inclusive learning, community cohesion, and sustainable development.
Drivers
LSC targets (set by the Secretary of State for Education) link to Public Service Agreement targets through a national Performance and Resource Agreement. The LSC aims to achieve a synthesis between its national targets and local targets. It has its own performance measurement system under development.
Benefits and Constraints from LSP Engagement
Benefits
- A higher profile for LSC with influence in Community and Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies and greater coherence in inter-agency planning.
- Facilitating attainment of LSC priorities including rolling out joint employment and skills planning arrangements with local partners, maximising linkages with regeneration opportunities, and skills development in the public sector.
- Greater awareness of learning and skills programmes and provision amongst local partners, leading to greater take-up of learning opportunities by learners and employers, and improving reach amongst disengaged or excluded individuals.
- Greater focus by partners on LSC targets, including possible collaboration on data issues
Constraints
- Each local LSC covers a sub-region, typically encompassing several LSPs (the Black Country LSC engages with 4 LSPs). This can limit the time and resource that an LSC can devote to partnership working with an individual LSP.
- Local LSCs have little discretionary funding, other than ESF co-financing and Local Innovation and Development Funds. Locally, their main discretion is over the courses they fund and with which providers they contract. They are also concerned with the delivery of national programmes, notably Apprenticeships.
Relationship with other Partnerships
- Regional Skills Partnership
- Information, Advice & Guidance partnerships
- Education Business Partnerships
More Information
Other things you need to know
- Moving to joint operational planning with Jobcentre Plus district offices
- The Black Country LSC has undertaken a series of Strategic Area Reviews, providing a wealth of information on local skills needs and local post-16 provision.
- The Black Country Consortium has agreed a 10 point action plan for 14 – 19 education together with a series of key indicators of performance and these provide the standard monitoring tools to review progress on participation and achievement.
- LSCs fund Education Business Links to prepare young people for work, and to work in disadvantaged areas to encourage enterprise practice among teachers and pupils
Find out more:
Skills Funding Agency: http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/
Young People’s Learning Agency: http://www.ypla.gov.uk/
Department for Education: http://www.education.gov.uk/
Learning Partnerships: http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/llp/index.htm
