Introduction

We have established a powerful economic and social case for skills acquisition. The value of learning is considerable. We have also seen how the need for skills is increasing and that our skills base is weak in a range of ways. This is our ‘interpretation’ of the skills ‘world’. However, such knowledge needs to be put to use to ‘change’ the skills world, through developing an agenda for action which would seek to markedly improve our skills position. There is a case for policy action by government to tackle a range of skill deficiencies, in order to ensure that the UK has the skills base necessary both to compete effectively in the modern world and to secure access to economic opportunities for its citizens.

Indeed, the government has recently established (in April, 2001, for England) the Learning and Skills Council whose goal is precisely to raise attainment and participation so that “by 2010 young people and adults … will have knowledge and productive skills matching the best in the world” (LSC, 2001). They have set five key objectives to this end:

• • extend participation in education, learning and training;

• • increase the engagement of employers in workforce development;

• • raise achievement of young people;

• • raise achievement of adults;

• • raise the quality of education and training.

Furthermore, the government is establishing, in April 2002 with UK-wide coverage, a new network of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) to replace the existing National Training Organisations. A new Sector Skills Development Agency will be established to develop and monitor the SSCs, whose remit is to:

• • reduce skill shortages and skill gaps;

• • improve productivity and human performance through targeted interventions to tackle specific sector priorities;

• • increase the proportion of the sectors’ workforce participating in training and in the level of training investment.

In this way it is expected that the role of employers in skill formation will be increased, the ‘demand’ for skills increased and the responsiveness of the supply side increased.

This chapter sets out a range of proposals which, if adopted, could assist the Learning and Skills Council and the SSCs, as well as others such as the Regional Development Agencies and their partners, through their new ‘frameworks for employment and skills action’ in securing the challenging goal of building a ‘high skill’ society which is both competitive and inclusive.