Top training providers have been honoured for their achievements by the Learning and Skills Council.
Twenty-two providers have been recognised as being the first to achieve a new voluntary accreditation, which highlights excellence in responsiveness to employer needs and excellence in a particular vocational area.
Speaking at a ceremony to celebrate their achievements, David Lammy MP, skills minister, said: "Training is essential to any successful enterprise and we are determined to make high quality skills training accessible for all. The new standard highlights excellence in provider responsiveness and will be a mark that employers can trust."
A key development of the standard from previous accreditation schemes is that it is not attached to public funding or investment and will be open to both publicly and privately funded organisations providing higher and further education. In addition, accreditation is verified by employers, meaning that the criteria for achieving the standard reflects their needs.
Jaine Clarke, Director of Skills for Employers, LSC, said: "It is fantastic that the first 22 colleges and training providers accredited have been acknowledged for their achievement. This is a positive sign for the further education sector as training providers aim to improve their offer to respond to the needs of employers.
"There are numerous benefits of this new standard to both employers and providers such as increasing the quality of training provision, while encouraging employers to invest more in training. I hope this motivates others to follow suit and work towards achieving the new standard."
The standard has been extremely well-received to date by the sector and a further four training providers have recently received accreditation; taking the total to 26 having achieved the new standard. These are likely to be joined by further training providers over the coming months as more continue to apply and be assessed.
To date, more than 50 training providers having applied for the standard including colleges, universities, commercial and publicly funded training organisations, and several large employers. Feedback from training providers involved in the testing phase of the standard has also been very positive. Almost all reported that the process of going through the standard had sharpened their approach to working with employers and demonstrated to them where they need to make changes to better meet the needs of employers.
