Train to Gain helps fight the recession

9 February 2010

The Chairman of the Committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said recently that the Train to Gain programme had been mismanaged from the outset.

Last week, however, the Government claimed that business leaders had praised the programme, saying it had helped them provide vital training to their staff during the downturn.

In a survey of employers who use the training initiative, 80% said they were likely to recommend Train to Gain to other employers and use it again themselves. A significant number (41%) also said Train to Gain had helped them cope with the recession.

Both large and small businesses claimed to have reaped the benefits of the Government funded training support according to the figures released by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said: "These reports show that businesses value the change to offer staff high quality training, that they otherwise may not have been able to, through Train to Gain."

The LSC had interviewed over 9000 employer and 7000 learners.

Chief Executive Geoff Russell said: "This report shows that businesses have used Train to Gain to equip their employees with vital skills that have had a direct impact on their productivity. This is a critical business benefit in tough economic times."