14th Dec 2005 07:30
Capita Group PLC14 December 2005 LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL EXTENDS BREADTH OF CAPITA'S CONTRACT TO DELIVER EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE Capita to manage the extension of EMA to young people on unwaged training programmes The Capita Group Plc (Capita) has signed an extended agreement with the Learningand Skills Council (LSC) to manage the administration of the forthcomingbroadening of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme. This will extendEMA to 65,000 young people who take up Entry to Employment (E2E) andProgramme-Led Pathways (PLP) courses, which are funded by the LSC, from April2006. The agreement, valued at £11.4m over three years with an option to extend for afurther two years, builds upon the Government's commitment to help young peoplefulfil their educational potential. Capita will now be responsible for managingthe extended service alongside its existing contract. Capita administersend-to-end service provision, including accepting and processing applicationsfor the allowance from potential recipients and administering the agreed weeklypayments and bonuses. The extended agreement will also include the training ofLSC-funded, work-based learning providers on EMASYS, the Capita-created onlinesystem used by schools and colleges throughout England. "We're extremely proud to play a role in the broadening of this innovativescheme which encourages young people to continue learning and to develop theskills required to meet their ambitions," commented Rod Aldridge, ExecutiveChairman of The Capita Group Plc. "Capita's unique application and paymentprocess created for EMA has, for the first time, allowed over 3,000 schools andcolleges to use a shared online system. The extension to include unwagedtrainees is further endorsement of the scheme's operational success." -Ends- Notes: Announced in July 2002, EMA was introduced as an allowance payable to studentsbetween the ages of 16-19 to encourage attendance at school and college. As aresult, young people can receive up to £30 a week, depending on householdincome, with additional bonuses, worth up to £500 over two years, for attendanceand achievement. In September 2003, the DfES awarded Capita the EMA contract valued at £48.4mover five years with an option to extend for a further two years. For further information please contact: The Capita Group Plc +44 (0)20 7799 1525 Rod Aldridge, Executive Chairman Paul Pindar, Chief Executive Shona Nichols, Corporate Communications Director The Capita Press Office 0870 2400 488 The Capita Group Plc is the UK's leading provider of integrated professionalsupport service solutions. The Group's service capabilities encompass customerservices, financial services, human resource services, software services,systems and strategic support and property services delivered to both publicsector and private organisations. With over 23,000 employees at more than 230offices across the UK and Ireland, Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange(CPI.L), and is a constituent of the FTSE100 with revenues for 2004 of £1,285million. Capita has secured a number of awards including Best BPO Services Provider 2004. Further information on The Capita Group Plc can be found at: www.capita.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange ENRelated Shares:
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