Become a member

AELP provides a unified national voice for employment, vocational and work based learning providers from the private, public and voluntary sectors and is recognised by, and influential with, all the key national policy makers. We continually lobby for vocational learning, ensuring it has a higher profile not just in the media, but also within Westminster - all MPs receive a regular newsletter on current issues, and the AELP position. AELP representatives meet regularly with ministers, opposition spokespersons and officials at the highest levels, both formally and informally.

AELP representatives are to be found on many government and funding agency groups, including:

Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS)

• Apprenticeships and Functional Skills Qualifications Working Group
• Apprenticeship and Disability Reference Group
• Steering Group for the English and Maths skills gain/distance travelled pilot
• Holt Report Implementation Board

Department for Education (DfE)

• Learners with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities Advisory Group

Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

• Technical Advisory Group
• Joint SFA/EFA Advisory Group

Education Funding Agency (EFA)

• AELP/EFA Joint Working Group on Transition of Youth Programmes
• Learner Support Consultative Forum
• College and Training Organisation Advisory Forum

National Apprenticeship Service (NAS)

• Stakeholder Group

Others

• Institute of Employability Professionals
• Professionalisation of Welfare to Work Expert Reference (PoWER) Group
• Prisoner Learning Alliance
• NIACE National Older People's Learning Group

Your membership is vital!

AELP can only maintain its credibility if it is seen to represent the many providers, large and small, who are delivering the skills and employability strategies. We can only continue to influence decisions if the providers that are benefiting from our work support us by joining AELP.

The majority of larger providers have already joined, but we also represent the army of small and medium providers - those that, without the work of AELP, could face the greatest threats if the views of providers are not being fed into policy and decision makers at the earliest opportunity. We are here to protect your interests.