Government's skills strategy 'in danger of missing opportunity'

22 July 2010

22 July 2010

Responding to the publication, today, of the government's consultation on the future direction of skills policy, CMI (Chartered Management Institute) warns that an opportunity to drive economic growth could be missed. Whilst CMI supports a renewed focus on the delivery of training to create a better society, Petra Wilton, director of policy and research at CMI, cautions that "too much attention on basic skills that produce high social returns may be at the expense of the higher-level skills that boost economic performance and create sustainable businesses".

She says: "There is no doubt that the UK needs a radical rethink of its current skills strategy and initiatives that boost uptake of training and qualifications should be applauded. However, during hard economic times it is vital that attention is given to developing skills with a high economic value. Without focusing on higher-level skills, employers will be left with weak leaders who are ill-equipped to do their job, meaning that UK organisations will continue to flounder behind our international competitors."

CMI's recent Economic Outlook report revealed that the majority of business leaders (69 per cent) want greater control over funding for skills development. The finding came in the wake of a poll suggesting that 81 per cent believe their organisation ‘will increasingly need more employees with higher level skills'.

Wilton adds: "We welcome the government's view that employers must be free to choose the training they think best suits their needs because if development opportunities are demand-led they are more likely to provide a return on investment and more likely to boost current low levels of employee engagement. By empowering employers and their staff to choose the training they undertake, it will also help ensure money is diverted to where it is most needed."

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