Towards a new skills strategy for England Monday, September 14, 2009 - 14:57

NIACE will be contributing to discussions around the forthcoming white paper on skills, due out this autumn.

During the week commencing 14 September 2009, NIACE Chief Executive, Alan Tuckett, will be attending a seminar with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) minister Pat McFadden MP. NIACE members and stakeholders are invited to contribute their advice and comments on the two items under discussion:

1: BIS objectives for skills- meeting employers and individual needs, and raising their ambitions:

• How can BIS best support individuals to gain employment and progress?
• How can BIS better respond to current employer demand?
• How can BIS better predict employers future skills needs and support growth/emerging sectors?
• How do BIS raise the ambition of employers in relation to skills? How do we encourage investment from the private sector?

2: A system that delivers

• Are the Department's current targets right?
• How can BIS simplify the structures of the system? Have BIS got the balance tight between national, regional, local and sectoral roles?
• How can BIS empower providers to respond to demand? What further steps would improve the quality of provision?
• What further reforms of qualifications and courses would increase returns? How can BIS better support employability skills, enterprise and self employment?

If you would like to contribute please email Alan Tuckett at alan.tuckett@niace.org.uk