30 Nov 2007

Chancellor opens Norwich centre for the National Skills Academy for Financial Services

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP has officially opened the National Skills Academy for Financial Services hub in the East of England. At the launch in Norwich on Thursday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP, said:

“I am delighted to be opening the National Skills Academy in Norwich. It illustrates the pioneering and successful partnership already established between City College Norwich and others in the Financial Services industry, helping them to develop important new qualifications for the sector.”

“I’d particularly like to thank those employers who have invested in the academy which is attracting more talented people into the Financial Services industry, securing the UK’s competitive position, and helping to realise the Government’ s aim that Britain is a world class leader in skills by 2020.”

Financial Services Skills Council Chief Executive Teresa Sayers said:

“The Norwich centre, with its cutting-edge facilities, is a great showcase for our vision for the National Skills Academy as a whole. Much of the FSSC’s newest thinking, such as the new foundation degrees in financial services, has been piloted with employers in Norwich and with the City College in Norwich with great results. I’m sure that employers in the East of England will find the new centre puts them at a competitive advantage in supplying well-trained people to support their business.”

Press contacts

Zoe Hussain: Marketing & PR Officer, FSSC
T – 0845 618 2375
Email: zoe.hussain@fssc.org.uk

Sue Martin: Head of PR, FSSC
T – 0845 618 2382
Email: sue.martin@fssc.org.uk

Notes to Editors

The Financial Services Skills Council is an independent, employer-led organisation, established in 2004 to provide strategic leadership for education, training and skills development for the financial services industry across the UK. It aims to improve productivity and business performance by ensuring that the industry is equipped with the range and level of skills that it needs. The financial services sector is central to the UK economy, generating over 8% of UK GDP. It employs more than a million people in more than 35,000 companies, and affects every single person in the UK. The FSSC sets performance standards for the entire sector, including banking, building societies, insurance companies and brokers, independent financial advisers, investment administration and pensions.