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Funding aims to reduce skills shortages in regulatory services departments

Regulatory services departments have another opportunity to apply for funding to assist training placements in 2005/6, after 127 councils successfully applied last year.

The Regulatory Services Partnership will distribute £800,000 amongst councils in England with the aim of addressing the shortage of trading standards and environmental health candidates.

The funding includes match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 for practical training placements and 90 grants of £1,000 for the provision of work experience programmes.

In 2003, there were 237 vacant trading standards posts across the UK and over 50% of councils responding to an Employers' Organisation for local government (EO) survey were using agency staff to cover these unfilled positions.

Derek Allen, Executive Director of the Local Authorities Co-ordinator of Regulatory Service (LACORS) said: "Last year, there was a huge amount of interest which resulted in a significant up take by local authorities leading to additional trainee placements in environmental health and trading standards. This momentum will now continue and demonstrates a commitment from both central and local government to invest in these very important frontline services".

Last year, the Partnership match-funded 147 practical training placements and 57 work experience programmes for 14-18 year olds. Applications for 2005/6 funding can be made from 11 April 2005.

This month, the Partnership also launches careers websites and presentation resources for trained practitioners, produced by the Trading Standards Institute and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Martin Stein, Senior Consultant at the EO said: "It is important that we provide information to those who are making career decisions. Traditionally this has meant the 16-18 age group but increasingly mature students and job-changers are looking to enter these two professions. We aim to show how a combination of science and law adds up to a very unusual and rewarding career."

The organisations that make up the Regulatory Services Partnership are:

• Local Government Association (LGA)
• Employers' Organisation for local government (EO)
• Local Authorities Co-ordinator of Regulatory Services (LACORS)
• Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA)
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)
• Trading Standards Institute (TSI)

External links

The Regulatory Services Partnership’s careers website for Trading Standards can be found at www.tscareers.org.uk and for Environmental Health, at: www.ehcareers.org

The EO's generic local government careers site can be found at: www.lgcareers.com

Training Reference is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

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