Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the utility of Lead Generators within the training sector.

The department does not prescribe the use of lead generators for the further education (FE) and skills sector and has not made a specific assessment of the utility of lead generators within the training sector.

Training providers are responsible for marketing their provision and attracting learners. The use of lead-generation services is a commercial decision for individual providers and forms part of the operation of the wider training market.

The department maintains oversight of the FE and skills sector through its published oversight arrangements with a focus on ensuring that publicly funded training delivers high-quality outcomes for learners and employers. Providers delivering department-funded provision are required to comply with the relevant funding rules and contractual requirements. Outcomes are measured through a range of established performance indicators. Provider performance is monitored through assurance and performance-management arrangements, and the department takes action where providers fail to meet the required standards or contractual expectations.