Welfare Reform on the Web (November 2005): Education - UK - Training

Caring to Learn? Getting young mothers back into education

D. Carlisle

Community Practitioner, vol.78, 2005, p.347-348

Article describes an innovative project in Stockport which offers advice, guidance and practical support to help pregnant teenagers and young mothers aged 16-19 to go to college to acquire marketable skills.

The New Entrepreneur Scholarships: self-employment as a means to tackle social deprivation

J. Slack

Education + Training, vol.47, 2005, p.447-455

The New Entrepreneur Scholarships (NES) programme funded by the UK government aims to enable people from deprived areas to become self-employed. The paper gives an overview of the development of the NES and an assessment of its effectiveness. The programme is interesting in that it has been designed and delivered by "not-for-profit" sector experts. It is a practical skills programme which at present does not lead to a paper qualification. The research suggests that the programme has been highly effective in helping disadvantaged people to overcome the barriers to setting up a business and establishing themselves in self-employment.

Priorities for success: funding for learning and skills 2005-2008

Learning and Skills Council

Coventry: 2005

This two year strategy will see increased investment to:

• Enable more 14-19 year olds to stay in education and training and improve their results
• Train more adults without basic skills and qualifications to join the workforce.

At the same time, changes will be introduced to ensure that funding remains sustainable in the long term, with a greater proportion of training costs coming from individuals and employers. Funding will be targeted at:

• Increasing provision for 16-19-year-olds
• Maintaining the numbers of young people in apprenticeships while reducing drop-out levels
• Providing free tuition in basic skills for adults
• Rolling out the National Employer Training programme across the country by August 2006, which will enable colleges to grow their business with employers