Charlene O'Connor, from the agency's skills and learning initiative, said the number of new jobs being created was good news for the country, but added that filling them with suitably skilled workers would present major challenges.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Scotland | Skill shortage 'threat to growth'

Mr Coles said that Paddington Academy in London and William Hulme Grammar School in Manchester, also run by United Learning, would share leadership of the initiative to provide initial teacher training for 50 students from September this year and some 200 trainee teachers the following year.

BBC: Private schools to train state school teachers

The initiative will target three priorities: promoting better equity in access, improving the quality of learning and promoting global citizenship.

UNESCO: EDUCATION FIRST

Beyond providing education-focused PC technology, Lenovo is committed to improving learning and increasing operational efficiency at all levels of academia through the Education Research Initiative (ERI).

ENGADGET: Lenovo ThinkPad L Series arrives for the eco-conscious professional

Fiona Banks, head of learning at Globe Education at Shakespeare s Globe, in Southwark, London, said the initiative would help "students engage with Shakespeare's plays - as plays - to be experienced practically and through performance".

BBC: Shakespeare 'for five-year-olds'

This initiative is about accelerating the adoption of sustainable practices across the spectrum of American health care, and building a global learning community so hospitals around the world can learn from each other as they travel on the path toward healthier people, healthier communities and a healthier planet.

WHITEHOUSE: Promoting Sustainable Health Care