Call for new government to heed employers on skills

​

The head of the food and drink sector skills council has called on the new coalition government to make full use of what he called ‘a new-found activism’ on skills and training among employers.

Responding to the publication of the Confederation of British Industry’s latest Education and Skills Survey, Improve chief executive Jack Matthews says it is clear how central skills have become to the business strategies of most companies.

He urged the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration to harness this by putting employers at the heart of a more coordinated approach to skills and education.

“This CBI survey shows the importance employers place on skills and workforce development as a means of underpinning the UK’s competitiveness and cementing economic recovery. There is a real desire across industry to play an active role in skills and education. Two-thirds of businesses now have formal links with secondary and Higher Education, and the same proportion see investment in skills as key to achieving their strategic objectives.

“It is vital the new government takes heed of this new-found activism and succeeds where its predecessors have perhaps fallen short in delivering a demand-led education system which is fit for the purposes of business. The priorities of employers couldn’t be more clear - nearly three quarters want to see improvements in the employability skills school leavers have, eight in 10 believe employability skills should be a priority also in Higher Education also. Around three quarters want to see less bureaucracy in government programmes as well as further reform of vocational qualifications to make them more relevant to business.”

Mr Matthews said many of the key skills issues raised in the survey would resonate with employers in the food and drink industry. “The survey suggests that employers across all sectors of the economy are most concerned with basic employability skills, higher-level technical and management skills which can help boost productivity, and improving skills in science, technology, engineering and maths.

“These are all critical issues in the food and drink industry. I welcome calls to improve employability skills in young people because for a number of years now, the food and drink industry has struggled to attract young people into the industry in sufficient numbers. The need for more people in skilled professional and management roles is as high in our industry as any other, we anticipate demand for such roles will rise by a factor of 50 per cent of current numbers by 2017. We need policies which will support the development of a new generation of leaders to drive improvements in performance and productivity. And the shortage of food scientists and technologists in this country is well documented, so I support calls for improvements in how STEM subjects are taught from school upwards.

“What is clear is that resources to tackle these issues, for both industry and government, are going to be squeezed. The CBI survey says two-thirds of employers want more cost-effective training and are seeking better returns. The way to achieve that is for industry and government to work together to plan out an efficient, effective, responsive approach to skills and training which meets employers’ needs and delivers results. This is not the time to slash public spending on skills wholesale, rather it is time to refocus where the funding goes and give employers more say in how it is spent in order to maximise returns.

“If you look at what we’ve been doing in the food and drink industry, there is already a framework there which works. We are introduced the new Improve Proficiency Qualifications which are fully adaptable to the training needs of individual businesses, both in terms of content and delivery, and are therefore cost-effective and efficient. Through the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink Manufacturing, we are also demonstrating real success by getting training providers and employers working closely together to develop bespoke training programmes on a one-to-one level. These kinds of approach work, and have strong employer support, and we offer the new government an opportunity to work with food and drink employers to manage and direct where funding and resources can best be spent.”

For further information, go to www.improve-skills.co.uk.

Ends

Note to editors

Improve is part of the network of sector skills councils established by the government to take the lead in driving up skills in the workplace in order to promote higher productivity and stronger competitiveness for UK businesses in the global market. Funded primarily by the government, sector skills councils are also supported by employers whose needs they represent when stimulating change among the providers of education and skills. Sector skills councils work closely with employers to promote greater commitment to improving skills in their workforces, and with schools, colleges, universities, and private training organisations to improve the provision of basic skills training and to make vocational and occupational training more relevant to the modern commercial climate.

Issued on behalf of Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, www.improveltd.co.uk, by Nexnet PR, Leeds, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk.

Tags: