XCEL STUDENT OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2008
Xcel Built Environment Student of the Year Award
WINNER - Suyanto Mahdiputra
University: University of Northumbria
Course: PhD Built Environment
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
Who are we?
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is a publicly-funded organisation charged with building a dynamic and successful Further Education (FE) system for England, to give young people, adults and employers the high quality learning and skills they need for economic and social success.
What do we do?
- We invest in people to give them the skills they need for success in work and in life.
- We fund all learning for young people, aged 16–19 in colleges,
schools and training providers, ensuring they have a full range of
high quality courses to choose from, so that they gain the skills
and qualifications they need to progress into further learning,
including Higher Education, and employment.
- We are passionate advocates of the role of skills in supporting
greater social mobility and social justice. We encourage people
from all backgrounds to engage in learning that helps them to
realise their full potential.
- We work with employers so that they can develop the skills of their workforce.
- We help people get new skills to support their wider ambitions
and career progression.
- We help those who are not in work to get the training and support they need to get a good job. We give people the skills that local employers need, so that everyone benefits from greater economic growth.
Why do we do this?
- We know that if young people stay in some form of learning
beyond the age of 16, they are far more likely to realise their full
potential.
- We know that improving your skills leads to better jobs and a
better quality of life.
- We know that more investment in training and skills helps our
country compete more successfully in a global economy.
- We also know that gaining skills is the best route out of poverty
and the best way to provide economic security for your
family.
How do we do it?
We work locally, regionally and nationally to:
- Create demand for learning and skills – we make sure more
people and employers are aware of the benefits of learning
and skills, so they are more prepared to invest their time and
money in them.
- Transform the FE system – we work on behalf of people and
employers, to make sure that schools, colleges and providers
offer a wide range of high quality learning and training that
meets their needs and aspirations.
- Aid economic development – we work with partners to make sure that skills are central to economic development and support social justice.
WHAT WE DELIVER
Economic Success
- We want the FE System to deliver the skills that a successful
economy and society need.
- We want all young people progressing into further learning and
employment that rewards their talents and ambitions.
- We want adults to progress too, with more people updating
and refreshing their skills to help them get work and progress
in their chosen careers.
- We want employers to truly recognise and value the impact
that developing the skills of the workforce has on boosting the
productivity and competitiveness of their business.
- And we want more people and employers to recognise the
value of skills and therefore invest more in gaining them.
Simplification
- We recognise how complex the FE system is. Our commitment is to try and make it simple for people and employers to gain the learning and training they need in the way that suits them best.
- And we want to simplify our own processes for the schools, colleges and providers we work with. We will continue to increase our efficiency and minimise waste so that more and more funding can be spent on front line delivery of learning and skills.
Expertise
- We are in a unique position to draw together information on
skills and employment trends to inform our investment in
learning and skills and to influence the activities of others.
- We understand skills: we know where the demand is and
where the gaps are. We know where excellent learning and
training takes place and we know where there are weaknesses
that need to be addressed. We use our expertise to act as the
voice on skills: advising and influencing the activities of others
so that we respond collectively to the skills challenges that
face us.
- Crucially, we work on the ground. Unlike most other public
bodies we work locally, regionally and nationally. We listen to
what local communities and employers tell us about their skills
needs and aspirations and we feed that through to government.
And we act on behalf of government: securing excellent value
for money in the investment of public money in skills.
- Our strength is our ability to work closely with partners at all
levels – connecting the local with the regional and national
in a truly flexible and dynamic partnership. We recognise
that we are part of a wider system: our relationships with
schools, colleges and providers are critical to us – we believe
that working together we can deliver more for people and
employers.
