THE Government's announcement that it is to radically reform the way education and training is provided for the over 16s looks set to become one of this year's political hot potatoes.

Although a major overhaul had been expected, the plan to sweep away the Training and Enterprise Councils and replace them with new bodies with wider powers covering not only training and enterprise but further and higher education took many by surprise.

Business editor PERRY GOURLEY gauges reaction from the business community to the prospect of losing East Lancashire's Training & Enterprise Council.

BUSINESSMAN Mike Strahan doesn't really care who is behind the help his firm gets.

"Provided the services available are what we need and are suitable for our business I don't mind who is responsible for it," said Mike, managing director of Plan-It Welding Services of Accrington.

And, as things stand, he's pretty happy with the business support services he gets from ELTEC and other organisations in East Lancashire.

For example, many of his employees - from labourers upwards - have been on NVQ courses provided through ELTEC and he believes they have helped Plan-It become one of the area's fastest growing companies.

"The business support from ELTEC has been very important to us. If the Government wants to change that and bring in another body then that is fine, provided we can get the same level of service. The worry is that an organisation covering a wider area won't have the same local accountability and feeling for the particular needs of East Lancashire."

And Mike said he was concerned that parts of East Lancashire would find themselves being pitted against others outside the area. "If ELTEC was replaced by a body for a bigger area then they may think, say, Skelmersdale is in more need of services than Blackburn and we would find ourselves going backwards," he said.

The fact that the Government is proposing a radical shake-up of education and training which would lead to the end of TECs is a concern to him and many other business people.The proposals would mean the end of the 172 TECs and the creation of around 50 new learning and skills councils. These bodies would have responsibility not only for skills training but also higher and further education.

They would also cover a wider geographical area - perhaps one for the whole of Lancashire instead of the current two. The motive behind Education Secretary David Blunkett's plan is that he believes the current system is too bureaucratic and failing to perform.

No-one would argue that within the current TEC movement some are better than others. But supporters point out that East Lancashire's TEC is regarded as being among the most successful in the country.

Given that, they argue that while TECs may be failing to deliver in other parts of the country, why should East Lancashire - where the current structure appears to work well - pay the price and be forced to change?

If the proposals do go through, it will have an impact on almost everyone in East Lancashire - from school pupils through to managing directors.

The responsibility of the TECs is wider than most people realise. If you're a young entrepreneur thinking of starting your own business, a school leaver looking for a career, a long term unemployed person desperate to get back into the job market or an employer looking to train workers in new skills then you are almost certain to come into contact with ELTEC.

Much of its work is measured in statistics - the number of start-up businesses which are still trading after a year, the number of school leavers who go on to take NVQs and so on.

But for the businesses and employees who are helped by ELTEC, it is their own personal experience which matters.

Being able to react quickly to the needs of the local business community and the workforce and potential workforce of the area is seen as key to the organisation's success.

Business people with day-to-day experience of running their own firms in East Lancashire feature prominently on the board. It is that determination to ensure businesses were at the heart of ELTEC's strategy that has endured since the organisation was formed almost exactly a decade ago, becoming one of the first region's in the country to pioneer the then Government's plan for the future of training.

Its aim was to involve local employers more in deciding local priorities for training and fostering enterprise which in turn would get a better return on taxpayers money.

It also sought to encourage employers to develop their workforce and improve training for staff - raising the skill levels of the whole of East Lancashire.

More recently it has also played a key role in promoting the area's future economic wellbeing by supporting initiatives like the East Lancashire Partnership.

For those who believe ELTEC has more than met the challenge set ten years ago, David Blunkett's proposals are something of a kick in the teeth. Chief executive Mark Price has spoken to his staff at Clayton-le-Moors about the implications of the Government's proposals and the board is set to meet next Tuesday to discuss the way forward.

"Our immediate reaction is one of concern because they could put at risk meeting the current and future needs of East Lancashire," said a statement issued by chief executive Mark Price and chairman Roger Collinge.

"We are concerned that the good work done to date and employer involvement could be dissipated.

"We would not wish East Lancashire to lose either the skills of the TEC staff or the employer input which it has built up and benefited from. The Board will therefore seek to argue the case to maintain the value that ELTEC has brought to the local community."

The controversy is sure to continue for many months to come and local MPs have already opened the war of words. Pendle's Gordon Prentice believes it will be a change for the better.

"I have long been concerned about the complexity of the current system and the duplication and overlap.

"I believe the new framework will bring coherence and improve the quality of advice available to young people."

But Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans believes the proposals will lead to a loss of the local input needed to make sure services are tailored to needs.

The Conservative vice-chairman said: "If its going to deliver better training and a more focused approach then obviously it will be better. However, I am worried that East Lancashire might lose its voice."

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