Praise for skills policy

Dec 17 2007 by Kevin Rowan, The Journal

WHILE the wrangling and turf wars over which public sector agency is responsible for what in terms of education, training and skills, continues to vex many, there remains a good deal to congratulate the Government on when it comes to skills policy.

They have certainly put their money where their mouths are. Funding for skills for life and first level 2 qualifications (the equivalent of five O-levels) has recently been complemented by support for a second level 2 and higher skills in key sectors and focused on innovative ways of learning in the workplace.

Arguably though, the pressure is now on employers and workers to respond to these opportunities and to demand learning and skills development.

The Skills Pledge is one way in which employers can demonstrate their commitment to training and upskilling the workforce.

The pledge is a voluntary public statement expressing an employer’s intention to train the whole of their workforce to achieve at least skills for life and level 2 qualifications.

Trade union learning representatives are valuable partners in ensuring that the Skills Pledge is implemented.

It’s one thing committing to train the whole of the workforce to these minimum levels, it’s quite another challenge to encourage and enable people into learning who have not engaged in any kind of education since leaving school and who may not have altogether positive memories of that experience.

Union learning reps have proved to be incredibly successful in bringing people back into learning and supporting learners to succeed.

Once people get the taste for learning in the right environment, with the right support, evidence shows they continue learning beyond the initial skills for life qualifications.

If this last chance for employers to voluntarily commit to training the workforce is not taken, the Government has also made a pledge, to legislate to give all workers the right to receive training.

I believe an enthusiastic, voluntary commitment to training is always going to be more effective than employers being pressed into upskilling the workforce by law, so I genuinely hope that all employers do sign up and the Unionlearn arm of the TUC will be doing all we can to encourage them so to do, as well as Union learning reps making the pledge work well in practice.

Collectively, trade union, agencies and employers need to continue to put pressure on those reluctant employers to join in too.

Kevin Rowan is regional secretary of the Northern TUC