Government's skills campaign faces criticism

Critics claim new advertising campaign needs to be backed by wider reforms if government is to tackle IT skills crisis

The government yesterday launched a major new campaign urging individuals and companies to invest more in skills training as part of its new Leitch Implementation Plan for improving the UK's skills capacity.

Entitled Our future. It's in our hands , the new initiative is being run by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Learning and Skills Council, and incorporates a major new advertising and marketing campaign as well as a new advice line and web site designed to "ensure that people have easy access to relevant information about how to get better skills through different training opportunities available for young people, adults and employers".

Chris Banks, Chairman of the LSC, said the new campaign would bring all the governments skills initiatives together under one banner and make it far easier for people to access training services, including schemes to boost basic IT skills. "We want it to be as easy as possible for people to access information and understand what help is available for them to get the skills needed to get on in life and business," he added.

Rob Wye, national director at the LSC, said that the initial wave of advertising would focus on employees, with a second wave aimed at explaining to businesses how investment in training can enhance competitiveness.

Louise Morgan, policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), welcomed the new service, claiming it should make it easier for firms to find the right training courses and initiatives. "Trying to navigate the skills environment is very complicated and there are too many different three letter acronyms," she said. "So providing a central resource is helpful".

The campaign forms the first part of the government's response to last year's Leitch Review into the skills the UK will need to compete in 2020, and a full implementation plan based on the review is scheduled to be released later this month.

However, critics argued that the new plan would have to deliver a greater focus on high-end skills and more in the way of educational reforms and training incentives if it is to prove successful in its goal of enhancing UK competitiveness.

"[The new advertising campaign] sounds like a lot of sizzle and not much sausage," complained Robert Chapman, managing director of IT training company The Training Camp. "It is the right sentiment, but the problem is that a lot of people and businesses have the inclination to train but they don’t have the time or the cash."

Chapman argued that while an advertising campaign is welcome, the re-introduction of training tax credits, or legislation similar to that in Germany that allows employees to take sabbaticals to train, would have a greater impact.

Morgan agreed that any attempt to drive a shift in attitudes towards training needed to be backed up with "concrete changes on the ground". "The CBI has traced a lot of the problems with the IT skills crisis back to a lack of graduates and, beyond that, to problems in the school system," she said. "We need more specialist teachers and careers advisors with understanding of the latest developments in technology. At the moment the situation is very variable. "

Meanwhile, Karen Price, chief executive of the IT sector skills council e-skills argued that the Our future campaign needs to be matched by a similar initiative for higher level skills if the government is to address the UK's technology skills shortages. "While we welcome the focus on lower level skills, we are campaigning for a complementary commitment to higher level skills, which are a priority for our sector," she said. "With the far-reaching impact of globalisation and emerging technologies, the need for more advanced skills and competence will only increase."

Wye insisted that the Our future campaign would work in conjunction with other government initiatives designed to make training more attractive. "This campaign is focused on stimulating demand, but we are also doing a lot on the supply side and working with the sector skills councils to ensure we are developing the right courses for employers," he said.