TECs waste public funds, say colleges

The Pounds 1.4 billion of public money spent on education and training through the training and enterprise councils is wasteful, and leads to poor quality provision, further education leaders said this week.

The damning evaluation of the TECs' eight-year record when their future is under intense government scrutiny came from the Association of Colleges.

The AoC claimed that the TECs have absorbed a disproportionate share of available resources; have been unable to demonstrate the quality of their provision; and have presided over a disproportionately high incidence of fraud.

In its response to the government's consultation on the future role of TECs, which ended this week, the AoC also claims that the TECs have failed in their fundamental role - to secure a greater investment in training from employers.

The government is criticised for complacency, and for being "insufficiently critical" of the TECs' shortcomings in the provision of education and training.

"A more critical analysis is needed of TEC contribution to national education and training objectives," the AoC said, adding that a more fundamental review of the TECs education funding is needed. Central to the AoC's criticisms is that the TECs have failed in the task they were established to address: "to secure serious and sustained employer commitment to, and investment in, training."

"All improvement occurred up to 1991, before TECs were formed. The position has been essentially static since then. It is by no means evident that TECs have succeeded in their core role," the AoC said.

In the field of training, the TECs are only "minor partners", AoC leaders claim. TEC-administered training programmes have delivered only 32,000 qualifications at level three (A-level standard), while the further education sector has delivered 218,000 vocational qualifications, "leaving aside the similar output of academic qualifications".

The AoC adds: "Moreover, success rates on TEC-funded programmes leave much to be done, with only some 44 per cent of leavers from work-based training for young people gaining a full qualification."

The adult success rate on TEC programmes is only 38 per cent.

The AoC attacks the government for congratulating TECs on lowering the public cost of work-based training.

"The public funding costs of an NVQ 3 delivered through the TEC route are around twice as high as those delivered through FE colleges ...

"As is well-known, TEC administration costs absorb a disproportionately high share of the available resources, to the detriment of training delivery," the AoC said.

The AoC also points to the "worryingly high" incidence of fraud and mismanagement - amounting to Pounds 14 million last year - repeatedly condemned by the National Audit Office.

"We believe that the TECs should stick to their enterprise role," said John Brennan, director of policy at the AoC, "and leave education and training to the schools and colleges".

TECs will continue for another three years, the government has announced, but the AoC's attack will add to persistent reports of the TECs impending demise.

Their confused role in relation to the forthcoming regional development agencies, and in brokering training in the run-up to the University for Industry, has come under question during the consultation.