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Lifelong Learning UK appoints top posts

Lifelong Learning UK, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the lifelong learning sector, has made four appointments to its senior management team.

Monica Deasy, director of standards, qualifications and research, has been in post since LLUK started operating in January. She previously worked at the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO) for nearly two years, most recently as acting chief executive.

She said: "This new role presents a unique opportunity to address the skills gaps across our sector through a coherent structure of inter-linked standards-based qualifications. To inform this process we will be undertaking comprehensive research to identify the skills that the workforce currently holds as well as identifying those that will be demanded in the future."

Heather Wood, the new director of corporate and membership services, takes up her new post in mid May after seven years at the House of Commons, where her responsibilities included dealing with the allowances of MPs. "I'm really looking forward to the challenge of helping to raise the profile of sector skills councils and LLUK in particular," she said.

Leah Swain, employer and stakeholder relations manager, joins LLUK from the Sector Skills Development Agency, where she was responsible for advising employers on how to set up sector skills councils. She also takes up her post in mid May.

"Each SSC faces its own unique challenge, but I think Lifelong Learning UK is one of the most critical. If our workforce is not up to scratch, then UK productivity as a whole will be put at risk." said Swain, who will be in charge of LLUK's team of eight performance managers.

Performance managers are responsible for monitoring workforce development and skill gaps among learning providers in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and five English regions.

Standards Verification UK, which has its own independent chair and board, has appointed Susan Edge as its chief officer.

Edge, who was previously standards verification manager at FENTO, said higher education institutions and awarding bodies that were familiar with FENTO should not notice any major difference in service. "It's very much business as usual although we will be looking to expand our commercial verification work".

David Hunter, who was appointed chief executive of LLUK last August, said the organisation was recruiting people with a wide range of experience that will provide employers in the lifelong learning sector with the highest-possible service. "We have a world-class team that I am confident will prove up to the many challenges we face," he added.

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