MPs call for urgent action on skills training

Education and Skills Select Committee - 02/08/2007

The report welcomes the Government’s commitment to skills but states that a truly ‘demand-led’ system is not yet a reality.

While supportive of the principles behind Train to Gain, the Committee raises serious concerns about its implementation.

The Committee found that funding for Train to Gain  is unduly restrictive, preventing real choices for employers, and the inclusion of ‘skills brokers’ serves only as “an extra, unwelcome layer of bureaucracy” in the scheme.  The Committee also cautions that Train to Gain may be subsidising training that employers would otherwise have paid for themselves.

The Committee suggests that emphasising training alone is not enough. Increased economic prosperity requires urgent support for employers to address skills needs alongside “wider sustainability issues such as capital investment, innovation and workforce planning.”

The complexity of the skills system is also questioned. The report suggests that there is still “significant work to be done” to tackle overlap between the numerous skills agencies.

The current system can also be very confusing to learners and proposed improvements to adult advice and guidance need to be implemented urgently.

The Chairman of the Education and Skills Committee, Mr Barry Sheerman MP, said:

“We very much welcome the increased focus on skills, but some crucial issues need addressing if the Government’s high ambitions are going to be realised. More ‘demand-led’ learning is a good idea in principle, but it is not currently being translated into practice. It is vital that we get skills policy right.”

The membership of the Committee is as follows: Mr Barry Sheerman MP (Chairman), Mr Douglas Carswell MP, Mr David Chaytor MP, Jeff Ennis MP, Paul Holmes MP, Helen Jones MP, Fiona Mactaggart MP, Mr Gordon Marsden MP, Mr Andrew Pelling MP, Stephen Williams MP, Mr Rob Wilson MP

Click here for the full report