SkillsActive focus on Leitch and the employer Skills Pledge

Will Pickering, SkillsActive – 08/08/2007

The Skills Pledge

SkillsActive were one of the first organisations in the country to sign the government’s new Skills Pledge, committing to training to at least level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs A* to C) and demonstrating the importance placed on investing in skills.
 
SkillsActive chief executive Stephen Studd said when he signed the pledge: “As Sector Skills Council for a fast growing sector, SkillsActive is pleased to be signing the pledge and supporting the government’s drive towards increasing skills across the board.”

According to the government’s response to Leitch, the Skills Pledge encapsulates the partnership needed between employers, their employees and Government to drive up skills in the workplace. It gives employers an opportunity to publicly demonstrate their commitment to investing in the skills of their employees.

By signing the Skills Pledge employers commit to providing support for their employees and new recruits to improve their skills and become better qualified. As a minimum this means supporting all employees who need them to gain literacy and numeracy qualifications, and work towards achieving first full level 2 qualifications. Individual employers will specify the scale scope and timetable for delivering their Skills Pledge.

By making and delivering the Skills Pledge, employers are investing in their employees and in their business; supporting their employees to increase their skills will also support increased productivity and profitability for their business

Employers who make the Skills Pledge will be guaranteed access to an expanded Train to Gain skills brokerage service that will work with employers to understand their business needs and identify the qualifications and providers that will best meet those needs.

The Train to Gain service will be improved and expanded to help employers invest in their businesses by improving the skills of their employees. It will support employers to assess and address their training needs at all levels.  It will support employers of all sizes and in all sectors, and will support employers in disadvantaged communities as well as in prosperous ones.

Richard Millard, operations support director at DC Leisure Management Limited, one of the sectors largest employers, also signed the pledge and said: “Signing the pledge not only opens up more support for our aim of increasing the skills of our employees and therefore the productivity of the organisation, but it also demonstrates DC Leisure’s commitment to the wider skills agenda.”

Sue Fagg, SkillsActive vice-chair and owner of the Dog and Duck Leisure Park said: “Signing the Skills Pledge highlights the commitment of employers like myself to increasing the skills of the workforce. It will provide an exciting opportunity for SME like me, and gives us access to the support and advice of Train to Gain skills brokers”

The Leitch Review of Skills, published in December 2006, warned that the UK must ‘raise its game’ on skills at all levels if it is to sustain and improve its position in the global economy. The Skills Pledge fulfils a key recommendation made in the review, at the heart of the new ‘deal’ where employers will be able to shape the skills system to meet their needs, in return for prioritising skills training at all levels.

Click here to download SkillsActive’s briefing paper on the Leitch Implementation Plan

Click here for more information on the Skills Pledge