Ofsted survey confirms NIACE's concerns over ‘Train to Gain’ Monday, November 10, 2008 - 13:51

NIACE's main concern about the Train to Gain programme - that there is little evidence that it increases demand for training amongst employers and that it has engaged too few ‘hard to reach' employers - have been highlighted in Ofsted's survey, The impact of Train to Gain on skills in employment, which was published on Friday 7th November 2008.

The survey also highlighted Inspectors' other areas of concern:

• The provision of Skills for Life (basic literacy and numeracy) training is a particular weakness;
• poor links are made between provision and need; and there is no imperative for employers and employees to use and extend the skills gained;
• quality assurance of provision appears more relaxed and methods for calculating success rates varies amongst providers; and
• the effectiveness of the brokerage service is disappointing with inaccurate referrals to providers being made, lack of specialist knowledge and inaccurate information being passed onto employers.

Alan Tuckett, NIACE Director, said:

"Ofsted's survey of Train to Gain makes sobering reading. The programme was established to change the culture of learning at work - to use public money to stimulate increased employer investment in skills, and to reach employers who were reluctant to train their staff. Ofsted's survey shows that despite the hundreds of millions of pounds invested, the main beneficiaries are firms already convinced of the value of training. Ofsted highlights how few of the employers reached are new to training. The challenges posed by Leitch remain unmet as yet."   

He continued,

"The take-up of Train to Gain is below target and whilst new flexibilities inside the programme are welcome, the changing economic climate makes clear that this is no time to further expand an unproven vehicle as the primary route for skills development. In our view, government should re-balance investment to revitalise vocational education for individuals offered openly through colleges and other providers."

Source: Press Release: "Ofsted survey confirms NIACE's concerns over ‘Train to Gain'" - [PDF] Released On 10/11/2008