In an attempt to rebuild the British economy after the banking crisis the government is focusing on strategic skills. They hope to equip unemployed people with the skills they need to take up jobs in key sectors and strengthen the recovery of the economy. They also want to merge the skills system with the university system so that clear vocational routes are determined from apprenticeship to technician to foundation degree and beyond. By targeting unemployed British nationals they hope to discourage employment of migrant workers.
The skills strategy is written according to the ideal that the country’s future can be built on educated, enterprising and skilled people who have the right skills, appropriate to the changing economy. Skilled individuals have more options and climb higher, creating wealth and in turn stimulate the creation of more jobs.
The strategy outlines a need to boost apprenticeships and vocational routes to higher education and the professions but it emphasises that the earning potential that comes with higher skills should be open to everyone, not just a few and so they hope to drive to improve basic literacy, language and numeracy skills to ensure that all adults establish a basic platform for employability.
The skills system is in place to equip Britain with a workforce capable of prospering in a global economy while promoting equality – if successful it will equip more of the population with the skills they need to progress regardless of social and economic disadvantages so that employers become less reliant on low-skilled migrant labour.
Responsibility for the implementation of the strategy will fall on the shoulders of Regional Development Agencies, working in partnership with the Sector Skills Councils, local authority leaders and sub-regional bodies. They will produce regional skills strategies that will articulate employer demand and more closely align skills priorities with economic development.
The goal of the strategy is a skills system defined not simply by targets based on achieved qualifications, but by ‘real world’ outcomes.
To access the full paper follow this link: http://www.bis.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/publications/Skills-Strategy.pdf