Councils accused of failing to work with providers as 16 to 19 transfer draws near

Paul Eeles, 14 to 19 director at ALP, claimed councils had been unresponsive to providers' attempts to engage in joint training.

"There is no evidence to give providers confidence that they are known and understood by local authorities," he said. "ALP offered to attend local authority training sessions, but this has not been taken up. Less than a month before the transfer, providers are still waiting to know what their relationship with local authorities will be."

According to a member survey by ALP, 40 per cent of providers rate councils' attempts at engaging with them as "poor" or "very poor". More than a third of providers also have little or no confidence in local authorities' ability to take over 16 to 19 provision from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

But John Freeman, director of React, the programme supporting local authorities through the transfer, said councils might have been unable to take up ALP's offer of joint training.

"Until local authorities have the staff transferred to them from the LSC in April, they have a severe capacity problem," he said.

Freeman added that React and ALP were working to improve councils' understanding of independent and third-sector providers.