Train to Gain, the learning advisory service from the Learning and Skills Council, is celebrating the successes of its first year.

The outfit, which provides impartial and independent advice on training to businesses across England, has exceeded its government targets with more than 52,000 employers signed up.

Latest figures, it claims, reveal that nearly 230,000 employees have begun learning through Train to Gain, while almost 96,000 have already completed full level two qualifications.

Of all sectors health and social work is expressing the most interest with 19 per cent, or just over 10,000, closely followed by wholesale and retail.

Jaine Clarke, national director of skills for employers at the Learning and Skills Council, commented: “The priority in the first year was to reach small companies not engaged with training. We delivered on this with over 72 per cent of the employers signed up to Train to Gain within the ‘hard to reach’ group. In our second year we aim to reach a greater number of larger companies. Through the Skills Pledge we are reaching even more employers, as businesses make a firm commitment to training their staff.”

In related news, HR Zone recently reported that graduates rank training and development over salary when selecting their first employer.