It used to be that natural resources, a big labour force and a dose of inspiration were the only things were required for countries to succeed economically. But not any more. In the 21st century, our future prosperity will depend on building a Britain where people are given the opportunity and encouragement to develop their skills and abilities to the maximum – and then given the support to rise as far as their talents will take them.
Skills can have a huge impact on people, on their families and on their communities, improving the life chances of individuals from all sections of society, and from across all sectors of the economy.
Skills are a key driver for a fairer society. They are also one of the key drivers of productivity, and an essential investment for businesses large and small, public and private.
Employers have a leading role to play in ensuring the UK is able to compete successfully in the global economy of the 21st century. In partnership with the government, further education colleges, universities and training providers, employers hold the key to creating the high-skills business environment which the UK needs for success in a knowledge-based economy.
The independent Leitch Review identified a skills deficit disadvantaging the UK to the cost of billions of pounds, and requiring urgent remedies. More than a third of adults in the UK do not have a basic school-leaving qualification – double the proportion in Canada or Germany. Five million people have no qualifications at all. One in six do not have basic literacy skills, and nearly half have difficulty with numbers.
Employers already play a key role in delivering workplace skills. But in responding to the Leitch Review, the government will lead the development of a truly demand-led skills system, where the skills people acquire are the ones they need for economic and personal success. Employers and individuals – the consumers of skills – will be given the purchasing power to shape what our country supplies by way of skills and qualifications. This is the essential approach needed to empower learners and employers and equip them with economically-valuable skills.
Only last week, the new campaign – “Our future: It’s in our hands’ – urging people to take control of their future by investing in skills was launched by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council. It is the most ambitious marketing and communications campaign of its kind, and over a three- to five-year period aims to bring about the cultural change needed to improve the attitudes and aspirations of employers and individuals to learning and skills across England.
Last month, we also launched the “Skills Pledge” which enables employers to make a clear, public commitment to train their low-skilled workers in basic literacy and numeracy skills and work towards an NVQ 2 level qualification. The Pledge is a vital step in creating the culture we need in this country, where to not train will be seen as a bizarre anachronism.
The government’s plan for skills – “World Class Skills”, due for publication in July – will explain how we will provide the right supporting framework to act as the catalyst for this skills “revolution” – and to close the gap between where we are now and where we need to be in 2020.
But creating the right culture for skills will require a collective effort. It will require a major new investment of time, effort and money by
employers and individuals that far exceeds the government’s direct contribution. No matter how advanced their skills are today, we need to see every individual across the nation rising up the skills ladder, reaping financial benefits for themselves, their families, their employers and the community.
The policy agenda to be set out in “World Class Skills” will be directly relevant to all employers. It will affect them whether they seize the many opportunities it offers or whether they wait for their competitors to do so. And it will affect every adult, as it sets the agenda for creating the learning culture we need to ensure everyone achieves their full potential. In the Britain of the 21st Century, we cannot afford to leave anyone behind. The price – both economic and social – is simply too high.
