Death of Tecs is welcomed

by John d'Arcy



Construction training chiefs have given a warm welcome to the Government announcement that it is set to scrap the system of local Training and Enterprise Councils (Tecs) and establish a national Learning and Skills Council.

The new council will become responsible for planning, funding, and managing all post-16 further education and training.

The move has been hailed as a return to a one-stop-shop for securing public funding for training.

The Construction Industry Training Board has estimated that it spends at least £1 million a year on the process of negotiating separately for funds with each of the current network of Tecs. It argues this money would be better spent on training.

Hugh Try, chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board, commented: "The new arrangements should further stimulate the flow of high quality young people into the industry.

"As one of the largest managing agencies we believe that a common funding and contracting arrangement should allow us to work even more cost effectively for the benefit of young people, the construction sector, and the UK economy."

The shake-up in training administration and public funding is due to be completed by 2001. Introducing the initiative, David Blunkett, Education and Employment Secretary, said the proposals would remove a "bureaucratic minefield" in work-based further education and training.

Peter Griffiths, chief executive of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, commented: "I think this is going to be a major improvement and will get strong support from construction as a whole.

"I am fed up with having to deal with all the different Tecs separately. It really does make life very difficult. They all have their own ideas and procedures. You can sometimes get three times as much cash support for the same kind of training from one Tec as from another. That is lunacy," said Griffiths.