Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Career developmentDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)Skills shortages

Industrial strategy’s skills proposals “deeply disappointing” – BEIS Committee

by Jo Faragher 3 Mar 2017
by Jo Faragher 3 Mar 2017 Iain Wright, chair of the BEIS Committee, said the proposals needed a clearer framework in order to succeed
Richard Gardner/REX/Shutterstock
Iain Wright, chair of the BEIS Committee, said the proposals needed a clearer framework in order to succeed
Richard Gardner/REX/Shutterstock

The Government’s flagship industrial strategy, set out in a Green Paper in January, lacks the necessary detail and commitments required for its proposals to succeed, a parliamentary committee has said.

XpertHR resources

Careers advice and lifelong learning feature in Government’s industrial strategy

Careers guidance failures “unacceptable” say MPs

Department for Education to take responsibility for apprenticeships and skills

In a report published today, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee singled out skills as one of the areas in which the Government has failed to offer a solid framework for future decision-making.

The Committee claims that the Government’s skills proposals are “deeply disappointing”, with no detailed proposals to encourage uptake of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects – an area in which the UK is considered to be falling behind.

It adds that there is too little detail on how the Government will improve the skills of those of working age as automation means job roles change, or how it will build “parity of esteem” between technical and academic training.

The Committee says it strongly supports Lord Heseltine’s comments he submitted in evidence that “industrial strategy starts in primary schools” and advocates “proper coordination in business and education and skills policies”.

When the Government launched its industrial strategy in January, it set out 10 “pillars” of initiatives to improve productivity and competitiveness in the UK, including improvements in career advice and investment in lifelong learning.

Iain Wright MP, chair of the Committee, said: “Theresa May’s stated commitment of an economy that works for everyone and to a more active role for Government in our economy and an industrial strategy is a very welcome development.

“However, an industrial strategy can only begin to help tackle these issues if it recognises that an economy can have a direction of travel, has a vision, and is ambitious, and coordinated right across government.

“As a committee, we are concerned that … the approach seems to be “business as usual” and a silo-based approach in Whitehall which will not achieve the step change the Prime Minister aspires to, and that as a result the industrial strategy will fall short in providing a clear framework for industries and businesses to deliver future success.”

Responding to the findings of the report, Ben Wilmott, head of public policy at the CIPD, said it reinforced “long-held concerns about the lack of lifelong learning and skills development for the working population”.

“The Government recognises the problem, but the Committee report shows there’s been little fresh thinking about the solutions. People need practical help and advice to upgrade and develop transferrable skills, but there’s little sign in the industrial strategy of how they will get it.

“If the Government wishes to create a truly modern, 21st century industrial strategy that can help the UK compete post-Brexit then they must focus more attention on how people can develop transferrable or new skills that will help them to adapt and secure the UK’s status as a global centre of talent.”

In a speech to business leaders this week, CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn also challenged ministers on how the promises laid out in the strategy will be achieved, saying it “lacked clear actions and milestones”.

Jo Faragher
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Occupational health effects linked to terrestrial trunked radios (TETRA)
next post
Institute for Employment Studies outlines key HR challenges for 2017

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Steep rise in visas for non-EU migrant workers

19 May 2022

AI adoption: Skills shortages means UK lagging behind...

18 May 2022

Ethnic diversity: report highlights disparities in school leadership

18 May 2022

How firms need to comply with sponsor licence...

16 May 2022

Fears over skills as visa application times double...

12 May 2022

Green energy jobs given lift by new Delivery...

12 May 2022

How flexible learning can close the digital skills...

9 May 2022

EasyJet tackles staff shortages with seat tactic

9 May 2022

Latest job advert figures point to growing economic...

5 May 2022
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+