Cameron will give employers more independence in developing skills training

David Cameron has promised employers they would have more say in shaping training schemes to meet the Leitch vision under a Conservative government.

The opposition leader told Personnel Today that the government’s implementation of the Leitch Review had been “slow and frustrating”.

He said: “There has been some progress, but it has been far too slow. The frustration is that further education colleges cannot respond to local demand.

“Guidelines from the Learning and Skills Council mean they cannot rip up the rule book and provide what businesses want. We need much more independence for colleges and greater ability for businesses to get involved.”

Cameron said the Conservative Party would soon be setting out its own plans on how to increase the nation’s skills levels.

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Earlier, in a speech to business leaders at the CBI conference, Cameron called for literacy and numeracy tests for six-year-olds.

“Of course, the UK needs a skilled workforce. But it won’t happen unless we raise standards of literacy and numeracy in our schools.”