Around 240 students and staff will from the main college campus in Kensington and to the new facilities. 

Planning applications chairman Leslie McDonnell said the arrival of the college in the Borough “will create a vibrant mix of uses for students together with opportunities for start-up businesses.”

“The development will provide a high quality building that will enhance the character of the area. It is great news for the local community.”

The Volunteers Fair will be held on Wednesday October 1st at the Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hil between 4pm and 7pm and will be attended by a range of local groups and organisations.

Anyone looking for more information on volunteering is invited to contact the Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Development Agency via their website: www.wvsda.org.uk

The latest figures from Islington Council show 1,271,206 items were borrowed from the borough’s 10 libraries in 2007/08 - an increase of more than 10 per cent on the previous year’s figures.

Library chiefs say they have also seen an increase in the number of residents joining the library service with 16,706 joining during 2007, compared with 13,900 in the previous year.

Cllr Ruth Polling, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Cultural Services and Libraries, said: “It’s great to see so many people visiting Islington’s libraries - we’ve got some of the best in London.”

Highlighting the range of services the Borough’s libraries offer Cllr Polling said “There really is something for everyone - you can rent hundreds of different DVDs and CDs, borrow books on every topic, or enjoy free internet access.”

The new programme, funded by the European Commission with matching funds from the Learning and Skills Council, the Department for Work and Pensions, the London Development Agency, and London Councils, is to be administered by the London Development Agency under direction from Mayor Johnson.

Johnson said he welcomed the funding “through which some of the issues facing London’s poorest citizens will be addressed.”

“We will make the most of the opportunities the new programme provides to get more Londoners into sustainable jobs. This includes addressing the needs of our youth, especially those at risk of offending or who require a second chance to turn their life around.’

The funds have also been welcomed by James Plaskitt, Minister with responsibility for the ESF at the Department for Work and Pensions. Mr Plaskitt said the priority was to “support those who, despite record employment levels, remain out of work, giving people new life-changing opportunities.”

Over the past two years Adult Learners’ Week in London has been supplemented with an additional project funded by the London Development Agency, concentrating on raising the profile of learning tasters in the vocational skills area.

As well as local Councils the week is being supported the Central London Learning Partnership, the BBC, the South London Learning Partnership, the London Libraries Development Agency, the Government Office for London, City Lit, the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA), UfI, and the Museums, Libraries and Archives.

In Croydon during the week there will be a number of drop-in information sessions at libraries across the borough including visits from the Active Lifestyles team to promote healthy living.

Libraries in the borough will be offering free ‘Introduction to the Internet and Email’ taster sessions.

Croydon’s cabinet member for culture and sport, Councillor Steve Hollands, said: “Adult Learners’ Week is all about celebrating and raising awareness of the fact that we all learn everyday, often without realising it. Whether you want to gain new skills or qualifications to get a promotion at work, or want to learn more about a subject you’re interested in, why not use the week as the trigger to get you into adult learning?”

Hammersmith and Fulham Council will be running taster sessions on Cookery, languages, painting, dressmaking, yoga, healthy eating and IT.

Cllr Antony Lillis, Cabinet Member for Community and Children’s Services, said: “Adult Learners’ Week is a chance for residents, regardless of their age or background, to find out how they can learn new skills, improve their career prospects or simply have fun and meet new people. I hope as may people attend the sessions as possible.”

For information on activities in your area visit the Adult Learners’ Week website at www.niace.org.uk/alw/2008/

The London Employer Accord, which is open to all businesses in the capital, seeks to build partnerships between employers and government agencies to help unemployed Londoners back into work.

England has extensive experience a senior management level and has recently been working with major London employers to pilot the Accord which so far has supported 100 Londoners into employment.

her team of twelve will work closely with partners such as the London Development Agency, the Learning and Skills Council and Job Centre Plus.

Welcoming the appointment Harvey McGrath, Vice Chair of the London Skills and Employment Board, said: “This is a key appointment in taking forward the Board’s ambition to simplify the skills and employment landscape in London and improving opportunities for those Londoners looking for work. Carrie has a very exciting and challenging role in helping to realise the Board’s ambitions”.

Under the Accord businesses commit to making more entry-level opportunities available to Londoners in return for a commitment from employment and training agencies to provide a supply of trained job ready candidates

Grant Hearn, Chief Executive of Travelodge and the London Skills and Employment Board’s lead on the Accord commented: “I look forward to working with Carrie and have every confidence in her ability to make the Accord work for London’s employers. Carrie is a confident and talented individual and we are fortunate to have recruited someone with her strengths to lead this important project”.

Today also saw the publication of the London Skills and Employment Board’s  interim report ‘The London Approach’ which sets out the next stage in the delivery of a London Skills Strategy.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone who chairs the board said: “The engagement from the public and private sectors in helping us to develop a London Skills and Employment Strategy demonstrates a strong commitment to tackle the unacceptably high levels of worklessness in London”

“This gives me real confidence that the strategy will, for the first time, achieve coordinated action across the capital to bear down on London’s long-term historic unemployment and low-employment areas and give people the skills to get back into work and progress”

“Today’s report shows that work has already started to put in place crucial initiatives that will ensure the final strategy delivers real life changing opportunities to thousands of Londoners.”

The report can be downloaded from www.london.gov.uk/lseb/

According tot the Mayor’s office the fund will support voluntary and community groups working to get London’s teenagers back into education or training. It will work alongside the Metropolitan Police which has pledged £4 million to fund projects aimed at tackling violent and anti-social crime.

The Young Londoners Fund forms part of a £79 million package announced by the Mayor and central Government last December.

Speaking yesterday Mayor Livingstone said: “Decades of under investment and neglect left thousands of young Londoners in the capital’s poorest communities with few other options than spending time on the streets and getting involved in crime and gangs.”

Mr Livingstone more funding “is needed to increase the range of services for teenagers, provide more support for parents and give the children and teenagers from London’s poorest communities positive alternatives to crime and gangs. The Young Londoners Fund will support the voluntary and community groups who are currently working with young people on the poorest estates.”

Commander Rod Jarman of the Metropolitan Police said their funding would “see a significant enhancement of Safer Schools Partnerships with more dedicated schools officers supported by an additional 102 PCSOs.”

There was support from organisations working with youth in the capital. Melvyn Davis, Director of Male Development Service boyztoMEN said voluntary sector groups “have traditionally been under funded in their work in tackling the hardest to reach and most disaffected.”

Mr Davis added called for better targeting of resources to ensure they helped “children and teenagers, predominately males, who are most at risk” and expressed hope that “some of this funding will be used to fund more mentoring programmes and training for staff and volunteers to be able to prevent the next generation of young people growing up feeling that gangs and crime are as viable options; as further education and employment.”

The £60 million ‘London Youth Offer’ will aim to increase the range of services for teenagers and is part of a package of measures to address concerns over the high levels of child poverty in the capital, increase funding for youth services and target the most deprived and hard to reach young Londoners who are most likely to be victims of crime and at risk of involvement in anti-social behaviour or street gangs.

The £60 million funding package will run over two years, £20 million will come from the Mayor’s London Development Agency and £40 million from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

The Government’s contribution is part of the substantial investment in places to go and things to do for teenagers announced in the 10 Year Youth strategy, ‘Aiming high for young people’ in July. This money will be made up of cash to fund positive activities for young people and money for the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds. Funding for other local areas will be announced in due course.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said “the most common complaint that Londoners raise with me, in relation to the quality of life of their children, is that there are just not enough youth facilities any more. This £60 million funding will provide more places to go and things to do for young Londoners right across the capital.

“Just as we have invested in public transport and put police back on the streets, we are now aiming to reverse the decline of facilities for young people. Investment and planning for the future of our city has to include our young people.”

“This funding is not a substitute for the resources already being made available for the delivery of youth work by Government, but should be used to provide additional support and make a real difference to the lives of young people in the capital.”

“With the highest levels of child poverty in Britain, it is vital that every young Londoner is given the chance to fulfill their potential. The funding will give children and teenagers from London’s poorest estates and communities right across the capital opportunities to learn new skills through training, sports and cultural activities.”

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:

“This money will give young Londoners places to go and things to do - but it is about far more than getting them off the streets. Teenagers need to take part in out of school activities to help them develop the life skills they need to get a job and get on – and this is especially important for the young people who might not otherwise get these opportunities.”

“I are delighted to be working with Ken Livingstone to deliver real improvements in the opportunities available for young people after school and at weekends across the capital.”

“Earlier this year we launched a Ten Year Youth strategy for young people and part of that was about giving young people a direct say in how the money is spent in their local areas.”

“That’s why we will be working closely with the Mayor of London, the boroughs and crucially young people in their communities to make a difference and support for the positive work that is already going on in many parts of the capital. I hope this will provide a boost to all of London’s children and young people.”

Entitled ‘Disabled Students in London’ the report is a review of information, research and policy relating to disabled students in further and higher education, including students with learning difficulties and is relevant to disability organisations, student unions, educational institutions and policy makers and covers student characteristics, their patterns of study and financial support.

Themes include educational participation, achievement and student destinations. The report highlights recent successes and failures of the educational system as they affect disabled people and shows that across the board financial and other support are key factors in deciding whether a disabled person will go into further or higher education.

The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: ‘There are over 63,000 disabled people studying in London’s further and higher education institutions. However, this report shows that disabled people are under-represented in post-16 education and that they still face disadvantage in the education system.

‘I’m committed to London being a beacon for inclusion and accessibility. We must all continue to recognise the educational disadvantage faced by disabled people , work to remove barriers to greater participation, and deliver effective equality of opportunity for all London’s students.’

A Disability Rights Commission survey of disabled young people aged 16-24 found that, of those who had not gone on to further or higher education, nearly one third had been discouraged because of their impairment.

For example, they were worried about support, transport or accommodation.
In further and adult education, there is major under-representation of disabled people among older students. For example, 14 per cent of further education students over 60 are recorded as having a disability or learning difficulty; in the 60-64 age group alone, the Census figure for limiting long-term illness/disability in London’s population is 34 per cent.

The report also indicates that disabled further education students with good academic potential are under-achieving.

Disabled students in higher education say that the most significant barriers are staff attitudes and access to buildings and aids. Higher education institutions have very varied approaches as to whether they take on disabled students.

The publication of ‘Disabled Students in London’ coincides with major opportunities to improve the education and skills of disabled people through the London Skills and Employment Board, chaired by the Mayor, and through London’s Adult Skills, Training and Employment Strategy.

The Opportunities Fund (‘Engaging in London 2012’) is a three year partnership between the Mayor and the London Development Agency and will involve a wide range of organisations including the Peabody Trust, City Gateway, Princes Trust, Centrepoint and Sports Coaches UK.

Launching the Fund the Mr Livinsgtone said “the 2012 Games is a once in a generation opportunity for London to transform communities across the capital which have suffered from decades of under investment and neglect.”

The Mayor claimed the Fund would ensure “groups who suffer from exclusion, such as lone parents, Black and Ethnic Minority communities and disabled Londoners, will get the advice and training they need to find work.”

However the One London Party attacked the Mayor “for wasting money on diversionary skills projects” instead of ensuring the Olympics provide a lasting employment.

Party Leader Damian Hockney said he had recently predicted the Olympics would provide “plenty of jobs for burger-flippers, security guards and car parking attendants for the three weeks the Games last” but that anyone looking for permanent employment as a result of the Olympics would “be disappointed”.

Mr Hockney said today’s announcement “has only strengthened my conviction that there will be no lasting legacy for local unemployed people.”