Skills for Growth Fees Review Group Friday, December 4, 2009 - 01:00

NIACE is part of a select group of national agencies which met for the first time on Thursday 3 December 2009, to review fees in further education.

Discussing the issue of fees alongside NIACE was be the Association of Colleges, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Association of Learning Providers, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council.

The review - led by the Chairman of the LSC, Chris Banks - was announced in Skills for Growth published in November.  Emerging findings of the review will be consulted on in the New Year. A final report is to be published later in 2010.

Mark Ravenhall, a Director of Operations at NIACE, said:

"We are delighted to be part of such an important review. We have argued for some time for a balance of investment between the state, the individual and the employer. Those that can pay should pay for learning. It is the government's responsibility to get the maximum return on its investment of our taxes. NIACE will give full support to this review to ensure that the most marginalised learners, and the providers that work with them, receive the best deal."

Jenny Williams, a Programme Director at NIACE and author of the Inquiry into the Future of Lifelong Learning's forthcoming paper on lifelong learning expenditure, said:

"Research on expenditure for the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning estimates some £55bn is spent annually across the UK on adult learning provision. £26bn is contributed by the taxpayer; £20bn by private and not-for-profit organizations; and £9 billion by individuals, including the self employed. Learning Through Life makes proposals for a fair approach to co-funding lifelong learning, and we look forward to contributing to the fees review."