The government yesterday announced plans to reform its sector skills councils. The move is designed to give employers greater opportunity to shape skills, employment programmes and vocational qualifications to better ensure the UK has the high-end skills employers are demanding.

Karen Price, chief executive of E-skills UK, the skills council for the IT sector, welcomed the move, claiming it would help ensure that students are gaining the high-tech skills businesses require.

"We are delighted that the Government has responded to the recommendations of the Leitch Review by placing employers at the heart of skills development; introducing a demand-led approach to skills that focuses on aligning learning with employer needs, and including a commitment to direct funding to the qualifications that best meet those needs," Price said. "We look forward to working with employers and partners to take this forward for IT and Telecoms."

The boost to the sector skills councils is just one of a package of measures included in the government's new report on implementing the recommendations of last year's Leitch Review into the skills the UK will need to be competitive in 2020.

The World Class Skills report also announced plans for a new UK Commission for Employment and Skills; an expansion of the Train to Gain employer support service; and an initiative to encourage universities to focus more on "workforce development".

IT vendors are also likely to support new plans to make it easier for businesses to have their own training schemes officially accredited.

Meanwhile, employees will be given access to a range of new adult careers service and an increase in the funding entitlement for adults to free basic training.

Price said the focus on developing economically valuable skills and co-operating more with the higher education sector would prove particularly valuable in helping the UK tackle its ongoing IT skills crisis.