How will the Academies work?
It depends on the model adopted by the sector. The models include state of the art centres, linked networks of providers in Further and Higher Education, mobile delivery of training on work sites and e-learning materials for flexible learning.
How will a National Skills Academy in Manufacturing (NSAM) help me?
It will focus on consolidating the currently fragmented market of manufacturing skills training, and on providing new industry specific development programmes for trainers and assessors, accrediting them against new national standards. This will ensure that providers have the latest expertise, industry techniques and knowledge.
At a regional level, the Academy will work with the provider network, in particular the Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs). It will launch initially in the North East and the West Midlands, where the focus will be on the NVQ in Business Improvement Techniques, levels 2 and 3, and will aim to operate throughout England within three years. It will broaden to include schools and Higher Education.
The Academy will align with other national publicly funded programmes, particularly Train to Gain and the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) to ensure that national standards of delivery are adopted.
Who is paying for Academies?
Employer sponsorship will fund about 50% of the capital costs of a National Skills Academy with about 35% coming from the Government and the remainder from other sources such as European funding.
Are more Skills Academies planned?
A fourth, representing the Food and Drink sector is close to being approved. Bids from the nuclear industry; the chemical industry; the hospitality sector; and the creative and cultural industries have been accepted by the Government and will now be invited to work up business plans ready for the next stage of the process. The aim is to have up to 12 academies operational by 2008, and the Government is investing £90 million in the programme, which will be delivered through the Learning and Skills Council working with employers and their Sector Skills Councils.
Added 1 November 2006