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Childcarers' training halted by funds fraud

The Government's sudden scrapping of the Individual Learning Accounts in England two weeks earlier than scheduled has left childcarers' plans for training in limbo, according to a leading early years provider. Rosie Pressland, principal of the Pocklington Montessori School near York and managing director of the Internet College for Early Years Education, said many childcarers had lost the chance to do IT training after the scheme was axed on 23 November because of fraud.

Rosie Pressland, principal of the Pocklington Montessori School near York and managing director of the Internet College for Early Years Education, said many childcarers had lost the chance to do IT training after the scheme was axed on 23 November because of fraud.

The Government was planning to end the scheme on 7 December, but brought the date forward after receiving evidence that instances of fraudulent claims had grown rapidly.

John Healey, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Adult Skills, earlier this month told the Commons Education Select Committee that in the week up to 21 November, '9 per cent of those learning providers about whom we had concerns and from whom we had withheld payment were responsible for 76 per cent of the amount that had been claimed in that week'.

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