Home > News > January 2004 > 15-Jan-2004

Additional funding for Learning and Skills Beacons

Alan Johnson, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education announced today the further development of the role of Learning and Skills Beacons and new criteria and selection arrangements.

Additional funding will be made available to enable Beacons to take forward a range of innovative activities and the new selection arrangements will give greater recognition to the efforts of all types of Further Education colleges and other providers across the learning and skills sector. The Minister also announced the appointment of UK Skills to manage the Learning and Skills Beacon status arrangements, on behalf of the Department.

Alan Johnson said, "Learning and Skills Beacon Status is about celebrating excellence in teaching and learning, sharing good practice and encouraging others to follow suit. I am confident that these new arrangements will provide a broader mix of provider types to act as role models for the sector as a whole. The new inspection criteria, coupled with the assessment by the LSC, will remain a significant challenge for any learning provider aspiring to gain Beacon status. Learning and Skills Beacons represent the very best performers in the sector.

"I am also delighted to be able to announce that UK Skills will be managing the arrangements for Learning and Skills Beacon Status on our behalf. Their experience of running the National Training Awards means they are ideally placed to help us to encourage existing Beacons to share good practice and run these awards".

The announcement was made during the Minister's visit to Barnfield College in Luton, which was the first general FE college to be awarded Beacon Status in April 2003.

Chris Humphries, Chairman of UK Skills commented "We are extremely pleased to be running the Learning and Skills Beacon status arrangements on behalf of DfES as it is such a natural fit with our other activities. The Learning and Skills Sector is extremely important and impacts on everybody's life; making sure we celebrate excellence and encourage the sharing of good practice is essential if we are to continue to develop the sector. Learning and Skills Beacon status will help us to do this".

DfES has specifically asked UK Skills to:

• Manage the selection process of suitable candidates for Learning and Skills Beacon status
• Coordinate and deliver the award ceremonies
• Facilitate national networking of Beacons to raise standards, promote excellence across the sector
• Raise the profile of Beacons and dissemination of good practice across the sector

UK Skills will work with Beacons and potential Beacons to help identify and promote good practice within the sector and to ensure the good work undertaken by the sector is widely disseminated and recognised.

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