The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), with an annual budget exceeding £11bn to improve UK skills, is to be closed down by 2010, as revealed by Personnel Today.
The government announced its intentions in a White Paper which underlines details of the transfer of £7bn to local authorities to help colleges and sixth forms deliver the reforms needed to raise the education and training leaving age to 18.
A new Skills Funding Agency for adults will get £4bn to oversee the distribution of funds to the sector and manage the performance of further education colleges. It will also house the new National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).
Mark Haysom, chief executive at the LSC, said two new bodies will replace the skills coucil. For young people there will be a new national Non Departmental Public Body, with some regional capacity, which will support local authorities in their new role in commissioning and funding 14-19 provision.
“The world does not stand still. In 2010 the LSC will enter its tenth year and this represents considerable longevity in an era of constant change,” said Haysom.
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“Although there is still a great deal of work to be done to flesh out the detail of the proposals, what we now know is that in 2010 some of our staff will transfer to local authorities and some will move across to the two new organisations. Even before that, some staff will move over within the LSC to work for the NAS which is aiming to be up and running by April 2009 at the latest,” he said.
Personnel Today reported that the LSC management had been preparing for the worst in anticipation of the Machinery of Government Consultation, with temporary staff being let go and contracts being reviewed.
