Skills agenda ‘having little impact’

The UK is facing continued skills shortages, with the Labour administration’s skills agenda failing to make a significant impact, an industry body has said.

According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD’s) annual learning and development survey, only 13 per cent of organisations have signed the Train to Gain Initiative, despite 44 per cent also reporting they will require a higher level of skills in two years’ time.

Train to Gain provides firms with skills brokers who can offer independent advice and match the training needs of organisations with training providers.

"There is no doubting the government’s commitment to making the UK a skills leader by 2020. But there appears to be more work to be done to convince employers that the government has the right answers to the problem," stated Victoria Winkler, learning and development adviser at the CIPD.

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She added that there is a "disconnect" between what the government is offering companies and what they feel they require.