The Government is looking at establishing legal status for
union learning representatives to give them greater influence in the workplace,
according to the White Paper on enterprise, skills and innovation published by
the DTI.
The Government wants to see employers give greater
recognition to learning representatives, who encourage learning in the
workplace by direct contact. The TUC has trained about 2,000 union members as
learning reps, but there is no requirement for companies to work or consult
them over training strategy.
NTO review is backed by body’s national council
The NTO National Council has declared its support for the
Government’s plans to undertake a comprehensive review of the way NTOs are
structured and organised. The decision to begin the major review, which will
look at the workings of the 73 NTOs representing most employment sectors in the
UK, was made last month by lifelong learning minister Malcolm Wicks.
Report set to help plug construction skills gap
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
An analysis of the skills needs and trends in the
engineering and construction sectors has been published. It offers an
assessment of the sectors’ skills requirements to improve the match between the
needs of employers and the supply of skills. NTO National Council chief
executive Andy Powell said the report’s significance lies in the involvement of
employers in identifying skills gaps in their sectors.Contact www.nto-nc.org or
DfEE Publications, 0845 602 2260
