Latest Blog

John Thornhill

A leap forward for education and skills

New group structure with the introduction of LTE Group announced.

Today sees the creation of the UK’s first integrated education and skills group and the largest social enterprise in the UK, dedicated to learning, training and employment.

One of Europe’s largest general further education colleges, The Manchester College, today announced the creation of LTE Group.  The Group is made up of specialist organisations, all with their own expertise and capability, delivering right across the education and skills spectrum. These organisations are MOL, a national provider in professional qualifications, Total People, a work based learning specialist, The Manchester College, in further education, higher education and the Apprenticeships, as well as Novus – the national justice sector organisation.  The Group is a national charitable organisation employing 5,000 people and providing education, training and employment to over 100,000 learners nationally, at over 120 locations.

John Thornhill, Chief Executive Officer of LTE Group, said: “The landscape of further education and skills has changed forever, as has the relationship between national and regional government. Organisations like ours need to adapt and respond to sector changes like area reviews, the national Apprenticeships growth agenda, major public sector reform, planned changes to prison education, the devolved government agenda and the aspiration for regional powerhouses. We are responding to the skills and economic needs of our communities and shaping the future of education and skills, locally, regionally and nationally.

 

LTE stands for Learning Training and Employment and reflects the diversity and scope of what we do. It signals a further commitment to quality across a whole range of activities. As LTE group, we are able to respond with specific organisations contributing across the education and skills sector to better meet the specific needs of individuals, employers and regional communities.

The Group aims to become the ‘go-to’ organisation and leading authority in the sector for learning, training and employment. The new website, which also launched today, will become a central hub of information for the sector including latest news, policies and blogs.

Sue Murphy, Chair, added: “Over the last 12 months we have seen the first signals of significant developments in post-16 education and the skills sector. Our view is that going forward there will be a need for broader and more efficient groups of education and skills organisations to respond to the multiple challenges posed by regional and national policy.”

The new Group will be supported by a high quality, consistent shared services function that will support all of the individual organisations. This allows each of the specialist education and training organisations to focus more on the needs of their own specific learners, employers, colleagues, stakeholders and communities.

LTE Group will continue to be a major contributor to the Greater Manchester and national economy and remains committed to our social mission to improve lives and economic success through learning and skills. The Group is not-for-profit and all proceeds from commercial activity will be reinvested for the public good and in the communities we serve.