The British Chamber of Commerce, which campaigns for small business, is complaining that the government is failing to keep its promises on funding for training and apprenticeship schemes.

The Learning and Skills Council distributes over £10bn for training young people, whether it is in further education or by helping businesses train their staff. But the BCC accuses them of backtracking on promises made to small businesses.

Training companies are now being forced to turn away business because the funding is not there.

David Frost, Director General of the BCC, said:

Employers understand that investing in training is crucial, especially during a downturn. However, a failure in government accounting means many who seek public funding will be disappointed to find that the taps have been turned off.

“With training providers now having to turn away employers who wish to train their staff, many are asking how the LSC could have so badly taken its eye off the ball?

The full BCC statement is here. ®