The degradation of labour market programmes

This article provides the background and subtext to a series of concerns recently raised on the degradation of labour market programmes deliv ered through the implementation of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). It illustrates and deconstructs these concerns by way of a critical commentary on the demise of South Thames TEC. This innovative TEC, which was declared bankrupt in December 1994, was caught between juggling the competing demands of the government's arbitrary targets and the needs of the unemployed. Based on the South Thames experi ence, the article argues that there needs to be a radical rethink on the purpose of training (and its funding mechanisms) to prevent further social exclusion and the marginalization of those with special training needs.