City & Guilds for Skills Development / Party Conference Round Table Discussions / City & Guilds Centre For Skills Development

Liberal Democrat Party Conference Roundtable

Chris Gale — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:58:12 GMT

At the Liberal Democrats' party conference on the 16th September, The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development hosted a round table discussion, entitled ‘Upskilling communities: vocational education, social exclusion and the local agenda’.

With the UK facing recession, and with economies around the world feeling the impact of the credit crunch and global economic downturn, skills are becoming increasingly important as a means of driving competitiveness and productivity. The Centre for Skills Development, however, believes that vocational education has a wider value: it has the power to engage people in their communities, boost their self-esteem and life chances, and give them skills that they can put to use for social as well as economic benefit. By focusing on skills development, we have the chance to improve quality of life and strengthen our communities, both at home and overseas.

Recently, the direction of the UK’s skills policy has shifted back towards empowerment at the local level, with plans to shift responsibility for vocational education to local authorities. With an urgent need to ensure that the training being provided in the UK matches the needs of the labour market and therefore leads to good jobs, local government is best placed to ensure that training provision fits with the local economic picture. Local authorities may also have best insight into specific issues affecting the success of vocational education programmes within their communities. Is this enough to harness the power of vocational education to improve the prospects of people in our most marginalised communities?

During the debate we explored the following questions in detail:

•How can we ensure that the training on offer meets the needs of learners, to attract them to enter and remain in training?
•How can we better involve local employers to ensure that training leads to good jobs? What is the role of the Sector Skills Councils and Regional Development Agencies in this regard?
•How can we engage adults in learning, particularly those who left school with few or no qualifications?
•How best can we use modern technology, as well as more traditional resources?
•How can innovative community initiatives be supported?

[b]We are now inviting other stakeholders to participate in the debate on this forum, ahead of the release of a report from the roundtable event.[/b]

Labour Party Conference Roundtable

Chris Gale — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:56:48 GMT

At the Labour Party Conference, on 23rd September, The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development hosted a round table discussion, entitled ‘Re-engaging the disengaged: vocational education as a path out of social exclusion’.

The Centre for Skills Development believes that vocational education has a wider value than simply helping to build financial prosperity: it has the power to engage people in their communities, boost their self-esteem and life chances, and give them skills that they can put to use for social as well as economic benefits.

The debate focused around the following questions:

• How can disengaged members of our society be reached and brought back into training? How best can we use modern technology, as well as more traditional resources, to deliver training?
• How should Information, Advice and Guidance best be structured so as to offer a comprehensive service that meets users’ needs?
• How can Government best support varying groups and individuals who are taking the initiative for innovative schemes at community level across the country?
• Can Train to Gain by itself improve workplace-based training? Are there other ways of engaging employers? What is the role of the trade union movement?
• How can the UK deliver on social justice for all through better vocational education and training?

The event stimulated discussion around the following key areas that are testing all stakeholders engaged in skills development: the role vocational education and training can play in social improvement agendas, including the potential impact on crime and national health figures; how the UK can stay ahead of its international competitors through improved skills training; and, if targets around social and economic improvement are to be met, how perceptions of vocational education and training need to change so that it is no longer viewed as learning for the least academically able.

[b]We are now inviting other stakeholders to participate in the debate on this forum, ahead of the release of a report from the roundtable event.[/b]

Conservative Party Conference Roundtable

Chris Gale — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:54:27 GMT

At the Conservative Party Conference on 30th September, The City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development hosted a round table discussion, entitled ‘Letting the market decide? Achieving a genuinely demand-led system in vocational education’.

The greatest economic resource the UK has in the 21st Century is its people. To compete with the emerging economic powers of China and India, however, we now face a challenge: how can we release the true economic potential of our people? This means not just raising the skill levels of the British workforce, but ensuring that the skills developed are the ones employers need, at the level they need them.

Policy makers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of ensuring that training provision is tailored to meet the demands of the labour market. Nonetheless, we are still not getting this right. Recent research by the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development found that, of nine countries surveyed around the world, UK employers were the least likely to believe that vocational education and training gets individuals ready for the workplace.

If the UK is to retain its place as a leading global economic power, measures are needed to engage employers and to give them a real role in developing the skills profile of the UK’s future workforce. Arguably, the current Government’s initiatives have focused on old-style targets and international comparisons rather than allowing market forces to decide training provision. It is not clear how this sits with the Government’s stated aim of moving towards a demand-led system, or, indeed, if targets for upskilling the nation by 2020 are achievable. Importantly, one of the key areas of concern for employers – the shortfall in soft skills – is not one that can easily be addressed with target mechanisms.

Finally, it remains unclear how policy goals can be married to the individual interests of businesses. Employers – particularly SMEs – may not necessarily see the need to improve the overall skill level in their sector as a priority, especially when compared to the more immediate imperatives of their own profit and efficiency. Indeed, they may be reluctant to train if they feel their employees are likely to take their new skills elsewhere as soon as they have completed their training. Research shows, however, that provision of training by employers can help promote high morale and loyalty in employees. Achieving a demand-led system means to some extent changing perceptions of training issues by employers and promoting a better understanding of employer interests.

We discussed the following questions during the debate:

1. How can the needs of employers be balanced with what learners want to study and what providers are able to deliver?

2.Do mechanisms such as SSCs provide an adequate vehicle for employers to lead decisions on training provision? If not, how can they be improved?

3.Are upskilling goals from Government compatible with more immediate business objectives? If so, how can employers be convinced that Government is working in their best interests and be encouraged to engage in developments?

4.Is the refocusing of Train to Gain resources on apprenticeships sufficient to promote workplace-based training? What other mechanisms might help?

5.How can the soft skills challenge be tackled?

6.How can we raise the esteem in which vocational education is held, to encourage young people to enter skills training?

[b]We are now inviting other stakeholders to participate in the debate on this forum, ahead of the release of a report from the roundtable event.[/b]

Recent data published by the Institute of Fiscal.....

Admin — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:52:52 GMT

Recent data published by The Institute of Fiscal Studies indicates that the gap between the richest and poorest families in the UK is widening, and that 100,000 more children are now living below the Governments poverty threshold. Does the UK need to change its approach to closing the gap? Could a newer, holistic approach to skills development be the answer?

On the 18th June, the City & Guilds Centre for Skills Development called on all political parties to consider the following proposals underpinned by OECD data:

- Greater freedom for colleges to respond to local demand for skills training.

- Financial incentives to form social partnerships between employers, training providers, unions and community groups that can help to articulate local needs.

- Greater flexibility of funding to allow for people to train at different levels according to local employer needs.

- Social support mechanisms for further education on a par with those available to higher education to encourage individuals to upskill or reskill.

- Research and development initiatives to enable development of skills forecasting techniques.

Where do you stand? Join the debate and give us your views.