THE Learning And Skills Council in Herefordshire and Worcestershire has attracted a record number of entries for its Celebrating Learning Achievement Awards, set to take place in March.

Nominations have been pouring in since September with the names of local trainees, employers, learning providers and project partners, whose learning achievements have been identified as deserving of recognition at the awards in 2006.

A total of 106 entries from across the two counties have been received, an eight per cent increase on 2005.

The event, organised by the local LSC, will take place on Thursday, March 23, 2006, at Malvern Theatres and more than 300 people are expected to attend the glittering awards ceremony.

Judging takes place this month and the names of the young and adult learners who will be going through to the awards ceremony as finalists are set to be announced in January.

Entrants in other categories are held back until the winners are announced at the award dinner.

Vanessa Winters, marketing and communications manager at the local LSC, said: "The Celebrating Learn-ing Achievement Awards ceremony is the ideal forum to acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication shown by our learners, providers and partners over the past 12 months and we are delighted to have received the highest number of nominations since the awards began four years ago for the 2006 ceremony."

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For further information, please contact

Vanessa Winters, Marketing and Communications Manager

Peny Danks, Marketing Advisor

Learning and Skills Council Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Tel: 01905 361 469/361 464

E-mail: vanessa.winters@lsc.gov.uk or peny.danks@lsc.gov.uk

OR

Claire Heavisides

Severn Communications Ltd

Tel: 01905 795 999

E-mail: claire.heavisides@severncom.com

Date: 6 December 2005

Editor's notes:

The LSC, the organisation that exists to make England better skilled and more competitive, is responsible for planning and funding high-quality vocational education and training for everyone. We have a single goal: to improve the skills of England's young people and adults to world-class standards. Our vision is that by 2010, young people and adults in England will have knowledge and skills matching the best in the world and be part of a truly competitive workforce. Established in 2001, we work nationally, regionally and locally from a network offices across the country.