Employment and skills providers recognised in New Year's honours list

4 January 2010

The chairman of the Association of Learning Providers, Martin Dunford, has been recognised in the Queen's New Year's Honours List for his contribution to skills training alongside other leading figures in the sector.

The number of awards for independent providers in the publicly-funded employment and skills sector is unprecedented and are seen as a major breakthrough in terms of much deserved recognition when the efficient delivery and high quality of providers are seen as more vital than ever.

ALP members recognised in the independent sector were:

-Martin Dunford OBE, chairman of the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) and ceo of Skills Training UK Ltd
-Eileen Cavalier OBE, founder and ceo of the London College of Beauty Therapy
-Janette Faherty OBE, ceo of Avanta Enterprise Ltd
-Emma Harrison CBE, founder and chairman of A4e Ltd

ALP's chairman, Martin Dunford, has been awarded an OBE. Martin is the ceo of Skills Training UK Ltd, a major provider of welfare-to-work programmes and where working in partnership with employers, from the largest to the smallest, is at the heart of its operation and the reason for its success. The company's employer responsiveness culture has allowed for easy extension into Train to Gain and other services to employers in both the private and public sector, particularly with local authorities. In 2009, Skills Training UK was awarded a prime contract in the south east for the Government's Flexible New Deal programme. Martin has been chairman of ALP since June 2004.

Eileen Cavalier has been awarded an OBE. Eileen opened the independent London College of Beauty Therapy (LCBT) in 1995 and is its CEO. LCBT's original mission statement, ‘Setting the standards for the industry', has been her principal motivation ever since and the College has provided the opportunity for young people and adults, many of them were formerly excluded from training due to their financial circumstances, to obtain the qualifications and skills needed for careers in an industry in desperate need of trained employees. Prior to 1995 there were no public colleges in London training those seeking a career in the beauty industry. Today LCBT is the UK's market leading beauty training college with 1100 students funded by LSC and ESF, undertaking over 1500 programmes, with 70% of students either 16-18 or disadvantaged adults. LCBT is the Centre of Vocational Excellence for Beauty, Retail and Holistic Care.

Avanta ceo, Janette Faherty, has received an OBE. Janette has been working at the forefront of the welfare to work industry since joining TNG as a training manager over 26 years ago. Now, CEO of Avanta Enterprise Ltd, a leading nationwide employment, skills and enterprise company incorporating TNG and InBiz, Janette is one of the UK's top entrepreneurs. Today, Avanta operates nationwide from over 100 locations and employs over 1,000 people. At any one time, Avanta is working with over 30,000 individuals to develop their skills, gain employment or start their own business.

A CBE has been awarded to Emma Harrison, the founder and chairman of Sheffield-based welfare and employment specialist, A4e, which works with people and communities to tackle unemployment and deliver skills, advice, guidance and enterprise. The company is the largest supplier of DWP-contracted employment services in the UK and operates in seven other countries across the world. Emma is a mentor and supporter of many small businesses and is a non-executive on the board of the Institute of Directors. She is active in a voluntary capacity as founder of the Foundation for Social Improvement, which supports over 1,000 small charities both at home and abroad with training and advice.

Graham Hoyle OBE, ALP's chief executive, said: "It is greatly encouraging that independent providers are at last receiving the recognition that they deserve for the contribution which they are making to the government's employment and skills programmes. The flexibility in independent provider delivery is showing its full value as we work with other partners to alleviate the worst effects of this recession. I congratulate Martin, our chairman, and ALP member colleagues for the recognition of their fantastic contribution to the success of the employment and training system at this vital time."