National Skills Audit and a more responsive skills system
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills' first National Skills Audit provides a high level assessment of labour market trends and current and future skills needs.
Information on this page relates to policies of the previous government and may not be up to date.
A set of skills system case studies (PDF, 544 Kb) showing the how different sectors of the skills system are responding to economic priorities is available to download.
The UKCES National Strategic Skills Audit is a comprehensive information source to steer employers’ and individuals’ choices for future skills priorities.
BIS welcomes the Audit, which confirms that the focus of Higher Ambitions and Skills for Growth on skills that matter most for economic prosperity is the right one. The Audit provides comprehensive marketing intelligence about the operation of the labour market and identifies the fundamental importance of increasing skill levels to future economic growth.
There are four important steps:
1 Launch of the prospectus for the new Joint Investment Programme to support sector skills priorities
The programme is designed to bring together public and private investment into 50-50 match funded plans to support training and skills development in areas key to economic recovery and future growth. We have made up to £50 million available for the academic year 2010/11 to support the programme via the Skills Funding Agency.
Read the Joint Investment Programme prospectus
2 Publication of a progress update on the implementation of the new adult advancement and careers service
In August 2010 a next generation careers advice service will be launched in England. It will provide access to better information about the labour market and new tools to help adults plan their career development; a new professional development framework for careers advisers; and a new brand to raise the service’s appeal to the public.
The document, Fuelling Potential - a blueprint for skills accounts and the adult advancement and careers service, sets out the steps that will be taken to achieve this.
3 Support for specific skills needs of priority sectors through growing the National Skills Academies programme of 14 NSAs even further
This includes the announcement of the successful employer-led bids for the 5th competitive bidding round. It also includes the approval of the a new employer-led National Skills Academy for Power as the last of the 4th round bids.
4 Co-funding for up to 1000 apprenticeships per year in the Nuclear Energy sector, and the development of new higher level apprenticeship frameworks
This forms part of our joint work with the Department for Energy and Climate Change to develop a Low Carbon Skills Strategy.
