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 CIPD PRESS RELEASE Monday, 28 April, 2008
Skills shortages continue to pose problems as
Lord Leitch gives evidence at DIUS select committee
Lord Leitch today gives evidence to the DIUS select
committee in the wake of a CIPD report highlighting
that over half (53%) of organisations' learning and
development work has not yet been influenced by his
skills agenda. The annual Learning and Development
survey also finds that only 13% of employers have
signed the Employer Skills Pledge, despite the
majority of organisations reporting that they will
require a broader range of skills in two years and
44% reporting that they will also require a higher
level of skills.
However, there is some positive news for the
government and the Leitch agenda looking forward:
nearly half of employers report that they are
considering or would consider signing up to the
Employer Skills Pledge or the "Train to Gain"
initiative. While some organisations may not have
been influenced by the Leitch recommendations,
findings show respondents are actively involved
in learning and development. Nearly 80% of
respondents have specific training budgets, with
an average training spend per employee of £300.
Despite regular complaints about standards of
literacy and numeracy, it is the so-called
soft-skills that are at the top of organisations'
agenda, according to the report. Sixty-six per cent
of respondent organisations feel that new employees
lack both communication/interpersonal skills and
management/leadership skills (54%), yet these
skills top the list as necessary for organisations
to meet business requirements in the next two years.
Literacy and numeracy are still concerns for
employers - but they feel that government should
address these gaps. The vast majority of organisations
(87%) believe that it is Government's responsibility
to ensure that young people are educated to
appropriate standards of numeracy and literacy. Just
over half (57%) believe employers have a role to play
in raising standards within the workforce.
Sarah Van Der Heyden, Policy Adviser at the CIPD says:
"There is a danger that the Government's drive to
equip everyone with basic skills may be coming at
the expense of the urgent need to develop higher
level skills on a more selective basis. This may be
one reason behind the relatively low take up of
initiatives following Lord Leitch's report and the
Select Comittee should ask his views on how this can
be addressed.
"There is no doubting the government's commitment
to making the UK a skills leader by 2020, but there
is more work to be done to convince employers that
the government has the right answers to the
problem. However, the large proportion of employers
considering signing up to government skills
initiatives demonstrates that there is much to play
for."
Notes to Editors:
* The CIPD Learning and Development Survey 2008 is
available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys
* The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD) has over 130,000 members and is the leading
professional institute for those involved in the
management and development of people.
Press Enquiries
Gregor Ridley / Anna Wallace
Tel : 020 8612 6400
Mobile : 07793 256763
Email: mailto:press@cipd.co.uk
Website: http://www.cipd.co.uk/press
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