ALP rebrands to the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP)

The Association of Learning Providers has modified its name to reflect its members’ role in helping thousands of job-seekers find work.

The lobby group represents nearly 600 providers of state skills and jobs programmes in England, including some 50 further education colleges.

More than 50,000 people found jobs and more than 100,000 completed apprenticeships through the group’s members during the last year, it estimates.

It will be renamed the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), effective today.

AELP chairman Martin Dunford announced the change at the group’s first annual conference, taking place in London today and tomorrow.

He said AELP has long advocated a seamless approach to providing employment and skills programmes.

Unemployed people are more likely to get long-term jobs if they have skills training, said Mr Dunford.

AELP is “determined to bring about full recognition that we are all working in a single employment and skills system,” he said.

Welcoming training provisions under the state’s 2010 Work Programme, Mr Dunford urged policy makers to continue pursuing a “single cross-government approach to employment and skills,” according to an AELP statement.

“This could be particularly helpful in tackling the major issue of youth unemployment,” the group said.

AELP also said it will partner with the Social Market Foundation, an independent think-tank, to sponsor meetings on employment and skills issues at this year’s three main political party conferences.

Rachel Millard

Click on the FE News video below for the sector’s response to the new AELP: