User:Beckypaxton/Sandbox2



The Train to Gain service was introduced in England in April 2006 to support employers in improving the skills of their employees, and to contribute to improved business performance. It comprises: A skills brokerage service to advise employers on identifying training needs and sourcing training; Flexible training, for example delivered in the workplace and at a convenient time; and Full public funding of training for eligible employees taking specified courses and qualifications, and contributions to some other training paid for by employers.

Background
Train to Gain was introduced in April 2006 and became a national service in England in August 2006. It is central to the Government’s skills strategy to raise skill levels in the adult population by 2020.

Train to Gain’s objectives are to: change the way training is delivered to provide demand-led training to businesses and learners/employees; raise the skills levels of the workforce and improve business performance; drive up demand for skills training and increase investment made by employers in skills training not supported by public subsidy; develop capacity of learning providers to meet employer needs, raising the standards and quality of training; provide a national skills brokerage network and build the capacity of employers to access training without skills brokers over the longer term; and respond to the economic downturn and support employers to retrain and re-skill the workforce to compete in the future.

Skills Brokerage
The skills brokerage service is designed to help employers identify training needs and appropriate training, independent of training providers, from basic skills to higher level qualifications. The advice comes from an independent Business Link adviser working with the employer on a dedicated one-to-one basis.

Eligible Learners
Learners participating in Train to Gain or any other Learning and Skills Council funded programme must have the legal right to be resident in the United Kingdom at the start of their programme. They must also have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the three years preceding the start date. Learners on the standard Train to Gain programme (unemployment offer and response to redundancy packages may differ) must be employed by or volunteer at an employer in England and be aged 19 years or older. Further more detailed eligibility guidance is detailed on the LSC website’s Funding Policy section.

Full funding is currently (as of February 2009) available for learners doing


 * First full Level 2 qualifications
 * First full Level 3 qualifications for those aged 19-25 years
 * First full Level 3 qualifications for those without a first full level 2 qualification
 * Literacy and numeracy Skills for Life qualifications (with co-funding for ESOL for Work)
 * Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications for those coming from Local Employment Partnerships or as part of the 6 month unemployment offer
 * Response to Redundancy packages
 * Agency workers undertaking reskilling qualifications at Level 2 or Level 3

Available Qualifications
Qualifications that are eligible for funding under Train to Gain are identified in the Learning Aims Database.