The
National Training Organisation has called on the Government to provide a
productivity fund to provide cash to train unskilled workers.
The
announcement came as the Government announced its new white paper on enterprise
skills and innovation, which will include a consultation paper to decide the
future role of NTOs.
The
consultation will apply to NTOs across the UK and will end on 12 April 2001.
NTOs
currently identify training needs for their particular sector or area and
encourage employers to adopt training schemes to prevent skills shortages.
The
Government estimates the UK would generate £10 billion more output over the
next ten years by each raising its productivity by just 0.1 per cent. It also
claims that the UK would increase its gross domestic product by up to £40
billion by raising the numeracy skills of all adults to the standards expected
of 11 year-olds.
Hawkes
said, “Targeted support to tackle those sectors of the economy that need to
boost productivity and skills will be essential if we are to inject the
necessary impetus to drive up productivity.”
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By
Richard Staines
