Travel training organisations were coming to terms this week with “dramatic” cuts to funding for adult education as part of the government’s comprehensive spending review.
Training and mentoring specialist Shine People and Places has had to scrap its 2011 courses funded by the Regional Development Agencies, which have now been abolished.
And the closure of the government’s £1 billion Train to Gain scheme, which provides courses for over-25s already in employment, has left New Frontiers, an approved trainer, doubting it will secure funding for a leadership training project.
Gaby Marcon, co-founder of Shine People and Places, said the scrapped courses were mostly in management and customer service skills for travel businesses.
She said: “It is very disappointing for us. In some cases people had already signed up and paid their deposit. Most of the trainers have been made redundant. People see training as just a ‘nice thing to do’ now, not an essential.”
New Frontiers managing director Julia Feuell said the abolition of the Train to Gain fund was “dramatic”.
“I’m not sure if there will be any funding at all now [for leadership training],” she said.
There was some positive news with the announcement of 75,000 more adult apprenticeships by 2015, paid for by slashing the budget for colleges and adult training by a quarter to £3.2 billion by 2015.
Bev Platt, Training for Travel chief operating officer, said: “Employers prefer the apprenticeships as they deal with all-round training.
“We weren’t expecting the 75,000 places but they will be of benefit if we can get employers to take them up.”