London Strategic Unit

The London Strategic Unit has been specifically set up to enable the region to respond more effectively to the Skills for Life and Success for All agendas.

The size and diversity of Skills for Life provision in London provides the impetus to plan strategically on a London-wide basis for a sufficient supply of teachers with high level qualifications. Professional development must be co-ordinated and a support structure created to improve the quality of teaching and learning to meet the needs of our large learner base.

With over 500,000 learners currently taking up Skills for Life learning aims in London and an estimated 10,000 teachers, there is an urgent need for a coordinated approach to building capacity and improving quality. A well qualified and trained workforce is essential to support the scale of demand and variety of learners with literacy, numeracy and language needs in the capital, both current and projected.

The unit has been established on the initiative of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) London Region and the London Development Agency to provide the strategic lead for this process.

The Unit (LSU) are based within the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC) at the the Institute of Education (IoE).

The IoE is a college of the federal University of London with the largest postgraduate centre for the study of education in the United Kingdom and one of the leading graduate schools of education in the world.

The London Strategic Unit is well placed to work with all partners - LSC London Region, the London Development Agency, universities and colleges, the Skills for Life professional development centres and education and training providers - to ensure that there is a planned approach to the supply and training of teachers and trainers in London.