24 April 2009
Government responds to the Select Committee report in
‘Re-skilling for Recovery’
Summary
The Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select
Committee recently concluded its inquiry into how the skills
landscape has changed ‘after Leitch’. This report contained many
recommendations relating to further improvements to the system of
skills support, the collection of data and the roles of various
bodies in the skills landscape. Of particular interest to Sector
Skills Councils was their recommendation that their funding be
reviewed as part of re-licensing and that their capability at
regional level be assessed by the UK Commission for Employment and
Skills. The government declined to implement this specifically, but
did highlight that regional stakeholders were able to contribute to
the re-licensing process. The Committee also called for a revision
of the Leitch targets and more flexibility in funding to allow more
‘re-skilling’ activity – enabling people to gain second
qualifications at a particular level. The government responded that
the recently introduced flexibilities for small firms within Train
to Gain would encourage more ‘second’ qualifications. The Leitch
targets remain unchanged.
Semta View
We are continuing to work with companies across England
through our Compact activity. This enables companies to plan
strategically for their skills requirements and ensures they take
full advantage of the range of funding available for qualifications
at Levels 2 and 3, apprenticeships, and leadership &
management. As the landscape continues to evolve ‘after Leitch’, we
will continue to help science and engineering companies across the
UK maximise their training performance. See our page on the After
Leitch inquiry
here.
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