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+

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsLearning & developmentSkills shortages

Skills envoy Sir Digby Jones slams government’s six-month delay before launching Leitch Review skills pledge

by Louisa Peacock 29 May 2007
by Louisa Peacock 29 May 2007

Skills envoy Sir Digby Jones has slammed the government for wasting six months before launching the Leitch skills pledge.


Jones, tasked by the government with generating interest in the pledge, told Personnel Today: “I’ve been going on to the Department for Education and Skills every month since November: ‘Can we launch the pledge, can we launch the pledge?’, and they’ve said ‘No’.


“The government said it was going to launch the pledge when it was ready. Then it was going to launch in April, and then in May, and it kept putting it off.”


But Jones insisted there was a “huge appetite” in the private sector to sign up.


He said he had more than 40 major companies, including McDonald’s and catering giant Compass, interested in signing the pledge to train all their employees to Level 2. Many were eager to register as early as January, he added, but the government said it was not ready and was not launching it until 14 June.


The former CBI director-general, added: “The bigger companies, the ones that will be emblematic for this, are all up for it, and the government has said: ‘You won’t sign until we’re ready’.”


Lord Sandy Leitch told the government on 5 December 2006 that all employers should sign the pledge by 2010 to give the UK a chance to compete in the global market. Employers have criticised the lack of action since then, insisting that many firms don’t even know what the pledge involves.


Jones has been touring the UK to spark interest in the pledge. He confessed that small businesses are unaware of it, blaming poor government co-ordination.


“The government should be using different channels to communicate with small businesses, such as VAT returns and health and safety or fire officer visits. Loads of government agencies could put this at the top of their agenda,” Jones said.


However, skills minister Phil Hope told Personnel Today: “That’s what 14 June is all about – there will still be some companies we need to reach out to.


“We needed to do the groundwork first. We wanted to launch the pledge with a lot of leading companies to encourage others.”


Barometer question


Does your private sector organisation have a huge appetite for the skills pledge? Vote online.

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
Loyalty Management Group to train 50 of its senior and middle managers as in-house coaches
next post
Evolution not revolution: an insider’s view on recruitment in Eastern Europe

You may also like

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Policeman dubbed ‘Dolly Parton’ for working Nine to...

20 May 2022

Adapt culture to hybrid work: do not force...

20 May 2022

Women in FTSE 350 leadership: ‘A lot of...

20 May 2022

City firms pledge to improve social mobility in...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

City workers desert offices in favour of hybrid...

20 May 2022

Working from home statistics show three-fold increase

20 May 2022

Statutory sick pay reforms would save £4bn

19 May 2022
  • 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+