§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that training providers are properly supervised. [17454]
§ Dr. HowellsThe supervision of training providers is carried out by TECs/CCTEs in line with their contactual obligations to the Government Office. These include standards for TECs to follow in their negotiations and contracting with training providers. The providers are in turn required to comply to rigorous standards set and monitored by the TEC covering financial controls, health and safety, quality assurance and management information.
We have also recently announced the establishment of the Training Standards Council, which will oversee the inspection of Government funded training from next April. This will involve external inspection of the quality of training delivered by training providers, and will provide further public assurances in this area of public funding.