Brown promises to improve skills base
Nov 27 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal
GORDON Brown has promised sweeping welfare reforms to improve Britain’s skills base as he warned that millions of workers face being left on the scrap heap.
The Prime Minister set out moves to help the out-of-work to undertake training and the unskilled to improve their promotion prospects.
In his first speech to the Confederation of British Industry as Prime Minister, he indicated he would press ahead with controversial moves to expand Heathrow airport, build new nuclear power stations and streamline the planning system.
He went on: “Just as we are modernising transport, planning, science policy, we are redefining the Britain welfare state for a wholly new world – to give people skills through transferring resources from welfare to education. Not leaving them dependent, reliant on benefits without the opportunity to improve their skills and prospects.”
Mr Brown told business leaders there would be far-reaching reforms of the welfare state and the education system which would help “move claimants from passive recipients of welfare benefit to active job and skill seekers”.
He said the “old system” no longer met the “aspirational society” Britain needs to be. “Let us face facts – as a result of changes in the global economy, many of the jobs British workers do now are becoming redundant,” he said.
“Of today’s six million unskilled workers in Britain, we will soon need only half a million – over five million fewer. We have nine million highly qualified workers in Britain, but the challenge of the next 10 years is that we will need 14 million – five million more.”
The Prime Minister said he had asked Skills Secretary John Denham and Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain to forge a new alliance of businesses, colleges and the education and voluntary sectors to drive forward the necessary changes.
Mr Hain is to announce moves tomorrow to contract – and offer incentives to – the private sector and charities to play a central role in JobCentre Plus functions.
Those signing on as unemployed will be asked to look at skills advice and training, which would be taken into account as part of their benefit entitlement, Mr Brown said.
Mr Hain also announced reform of the so-called 16-hour rule, which restricts people over the age of 19 from claiming housing benefit if they study for more than 16 hours a week.
And Mr Denham announced a new “careers and advancement” service to help people to train whether in or out of work.
The premier said there would be an “intensification” of compulsion but also greater incentives for taking part.
Lone parents should train so they are ready to work when their children go to school.
He also promised a modernised incapacity benefit regime with help for those in need of education and training and medical help where mental health problems are an issue.
