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Degrees of Employability

Degrees of Employability: Is the Government making effective use of higher education to close the skills gap?

Date: Monday 29th September, 13.00 - 14.00

Location: Room 110, First Floor, Jury's Inn

Speakers: Rob Wilson MP John McGurk, CIPD Peter Kingston, Guardian Malcolm McVicar, UCLan

Chair: Simon Griffiths, SMF

Skills are one of the key building blocks for economic growth and prosperity and a major component in combating social exclusion and achieving greater social mobility. The attainment of skills and their effective use are widely seen as key policy goals for the UK government and they matter even more in the new global economy that is emerging around us.   However, skills have long been one of the UK’s Achilles heels as this country is ranked in the bottom half of the OECD league table for skills, with around one third of adults lacking a good school leaving qualification, more than double the proportion in the US, Canada and Sweden.  Furthermore, the CBI’s Employment Trends Survey has previously suggested that a majority of employers find school leavers lacking in vital skills such as the ability to self manage, work with others and solve problems.

The government has developed many policies to overcome the continuing skills gap.  For example, apprenticeships have been reintroduced and the Government published its Apprenticeships Review at the end of January 2008 which outlined the measures that will be put in place to ensure that apprenticeships become a mainstream option for young people as well as boosting participation for people over 25.  In addition, a new range of Diplomas are being piloted in September 2008 as part of the 14-19 Agenda and the Leitch Review has shifted the focus toward more employer-led skills, a move which has attracted both agreement and criticism.  In January 2008 the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills also published its paper Ready for Work, Skilled for Work: Unlocking Britain’s Talent. This document set out how the government plans to develop an employer-led employment and skills partnership for the future.

Key questions in the debate:

• Is Higher Education being used effectively by the government in addressing our skills shortage?
• How do we define ‘employability’?
• How do we encourage wider-participation in Higher and Further Education, especially amongst traditionally ‘hard to reach’ groups? If we get the qualifications (e.g. Diplomas and apprenticeships) right will this happen automatically?
• What opportunities exist, or should be developed, for partnership working between businesses and education providers?
• Should Higher Education courses include ‘soft skills’ (teamwork, communication etc) as part of their qualifications? What benefits, if any, would this bring to employers and employees?