The new national skills strategy, Skills for Growth, was published on Wednesday 11 November.
Speaking in the House of Lords, Lord Mandelson said:
"An active government approach to equipping this country for globalisation means making sure we have the skills that underwrite the industries and jobs of the future. That means skills for the high tech, low carbon, more high-value added sectors that drive the growth that underwrites everything else we want to achieve as a society. These skills are becoming more sophisticated and complex, and more vital"
The new strategy takes some important decisions and marks a radical shift in some of the priorities of our skills system, so it can support recovery and a return to sustainable growth.
Commitments include:
- Creating a modern technician class through more advanced apprenticeships
- Investing in skills in the sectors on which future growth and jobs depend
- Empowering individuals through skills accounts giving people 'consumer choice' and better information about courses
- The introduction of light touch monitoring arrangements for our best training organisations
- Simplifying the skills landscape, working with UKCES to implement their recommendation to reduce the number of separately publicly funded agencies by over 30 in the next three years.
The launch of the strategy coincided with Colleges Week, during which a study done by RDAs and issued by AoC shows that FE colleges are working to support emerging and growth sectors in many regions: including bio-medicine in the North West; digital media and aerospace in the South East; and wind and wave power in the north east.
You can download the National Skills Strategy from the Business, Innovation and Skills website using the following link - http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/skills-for-growth.
