ALP 'founding father' recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

14 June 2010

One of the Association of Learning Providers' 'founding fathers', Hugh Pitman, has been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his distinguished service to training.

Mr Pitman, who as former chairman of the JHP Group chaired the group of vocational learning providers that set up the ALP in 2000, has received an OBE.

As a member of the Pitman family whose commitment to training dates back almost two centuries, Hugh established the JHP Group Ltd in 1983. Through its national network of over 50 business centres, the company offers a wide range of work-based and job-seeker training for adults and young people alike.

JHP is one of the largest and most renowned providers of apprenticeships with government departments among its clients.

Hugh recently retired from JHP having sold the company to its management.

Graham Hoyle OBE, ALP’s chief executive, said: "The Board of ALP and I are delighted that Hugh Pitman has been recognised in the birthday honours list. Hugh has been an undoubted champion of vocational learning and his dedication to helping thousands of young people to find a purposeful career is almost unsurpassed in the further education and training sector."

"Hugh’s role in setting up ALP as its first chairman can also not be underestimated. He was one of the first to recognise that providers of vocational learning needed a much stronger voice in Whitehall if skills were to assume a higher profile in terms of government priorities. The fact that apprenticeships and learning budgets for 16-19 year olds have grown significantly and have been protected in the recent spending cuts is testament to the progress made over the past ten years and the influence now being exerted."

Graham Hoyle has also offered his warmest congratulations to Jackie Fisher who was made a Dame in the same honours list. Dame Jackie is chief executive of the Newcastle College Group, a member of the Association of Learning Providers.