Skills policy – the employer's view
Does the UK Government need to reform its current skills policy? Lizzie Crowley discusses this question by looking into CIPD’s latest analysis ‘Employer views on skills policy in the UK’
Does the UK Government need to reform its current skills policy? Lizzie Crowley discusses this question by looking into CIPD’s latest analysis ‘Employer views on skills policy in the UK’
The UK Government has pledged to put employers at the heart of the further education (FE) and training system, and last year set out a programme of reforms to achieve this ambition in its Skills for Jobs White paper. Given that skills policy in England is going through another period of upheaval, it seems like a sensible time to take stock of employers’ views of the skills system.
To shine a light on the opportunities and barriers to this reform agenda, we recently published the results from our employers’ skills policy survey which polled over 2,000 senior decision makers. The findings highlight a number of challenges that will need to be addressed if the reforms are to succeed, these include:
CIPD research suggests that the provision of high-quality HR support to small firms at a local level that are embedded through key partnerships such as Local Enterprise Partnerships, Chambers of Commerce and local authorities has the potential to reach large numbers of employers, make a material difference to owner-manager confidence and capability, and over time help to increase productivity and skills investment. This type of integrated business and people management support could be delivered at a local level to build SME capacity to engage in skills-based interventions.
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Lizzie is a policy and research professional with over 13 years’ experience in the employment and skills arena, having worked with both the public and private sector to develop high-quality research to inform organisational practice, public policy and shape the public debate.
Prior to joining the CIPD Lizzie led The Work Foundation's research and policy development on the youth labour market – and has published a number of influential reports on youth unemployment. She has regularly appeared on national and regional TV and radio, including BBC Breakfast, BBC the One Show, the Today Programme and Channel 4 news. Lizzie graduated in Sociology and has a master's degree in Social Science Research Methods, both from the University of Glasgow.
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