The Learning and Skills Council's first corporate plan, launched at the beginning of March, has been put out for public consultation.

The Strategic Framework to 2004 details the objectives for the Council in its first three years of operation.

The Council's remit is:

• To raise participation and achievement by young people.
  
• To increase demand for learning by adults.
  
• To raise skill levels for national competitiveness.
  
• To improve the quality of education and training delivery.
  
• To equalise opportunities through better access to learning.
  
• To improve effectiveness and efficiency.

The Council plans to do this by aiming to convince employers that investment in training and development is worthwhile, and also convincing adults and young people that formal learning is worth doing. It acknowledges that its biggest challenge is to convince the 'large group of adults' who have barely participated in learning since leaving school of the return that an investment in their own skills would bring.

The Council plans to adopt the national learning targets set out by NACETT until 2002, but is looking to establish local skills needs through its local arms by March of that year. The 47 local Councils plan to carry out needs analysis of employers and individuals in their areas this year. There are as yet no set targets for local learning plans as yet. The National Targets are:

• To raise achievement of young people aged 19, measured by the proportion attaining a Level 2 qualification, and to reduce the proportion lacking the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.

• To raise achievement of young people aged 21, measured by the proportion attaining a Level 3 qualification, and to reduce the proportion lacking the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
  
  
• To raise achievement of the entire adult population, measured by the proportion attaining a Level 3 qualification, and to reduce the proportion lacking the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
  
  
• To raise participation post-16, measured by the proportion of 16 –18 year olds engaged in education and training.
  
  
• To raise the quality and effectiveness of the education and training we support, measured by external inspection grades and by structured feedback from learners, employers and training providers.

The Council is looking to establish whether these targets are the right ones, and what the target numbers should be.

The full plan can be seen at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/corporate_plan/index2.cfm and can be downloaded from the same location.
To comment on the Council's plan, e-mail corpplanconsult@lsc.gov.uk or complete the online consultation form at http://www.lsc.gov.uk/about_us/about_us_consultation.cfm .