Councils gain learning disability and offender education duties

Councils will be given responsibility for educating and training young people with learning disabilities and juvenile offenders, as part of government proposals published today.

The Learning and Skills Council will be scrapped and the £7bn annual budget for education and training for 16- to 19-year-olds transferred to councils by 2010.

A smaller agency with a budget of £4bn a year will be created for adult learners, though councils will be responsible for courses for people with learning disabilities up to the age of 25.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families said today the reforms were needed to raise the education and training leaving age to 18.

The LSC was created in 2001 to fund and plan post-16 education and training in England.

The consultation on the reforms runs until 9 June.

More information

Consultation: Raising expectations

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