Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett has announced extra funding of £600 million to support the development of the incoming Learning and Skills Council.

Blunkett announced the plans today at the first meeting of the newly-appointed chairs of the council (the 14 National Council were appointed last month). The extra financial boost will take the total funding being given to the LSC in its first year of operation to £5.5 billion, with a further £400 million to come in the following year. However, some members of the new council have argued that these extra funds may not be enough to increase rates of participation in training and education to the levels the government is looking for. Increasing participation rates is a key objective for the incoming councils, which will take over the role of the TECs in April next year.

TrainingZONE says: The Learning and Skills Council appears to be getting off on a firm financial base. David Blunkett says he wants the extra money to result in "a step change" in the skills of Britain's workforce, although it's unclear what this might actually mean. Is the Education Secretary looking for quality or quantity in skills training?