Efforts to tackle skills shortages will fail if employer needs are not met

Responding to Conservative proposals for tackling the skills shortages facing the UK economy, Victoria Gill, CIPD adviser on learning, training and development, said: Ensuring there are good quality, relevant vocational opportunities available for young people should be a priority for any government.

But all too often, with successive governments, similar initiatives have failed to meet employer needs. This is why we have the skills shortages we do today, across age groups.

Whatever proposals are adopted to tackle the very real skills shortages facing the UK today, government will need to work closely with employers to ensure that courses and qualifications meet genuine employer needs. There is no point providing grants for thousands of youngsters to take courses that will not be relevant to the jobs they are likely to find available to them when they leave school.

Care should also be taken to ensure that vocational opportunities are truly integrated into the mainstream education system. Vocational courses should not be made available only to a select few, or delivered on the sidelines in a way that makes them seem separate from or inferior to the rest of the education system.