UKCES

16 July 2009

England’s complex patchwork of employment and skills services urgently needs to be simplified to produce an integrated system which is more responsive to the needs of employers, Chris Humphries, Chief Executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills warned today.

In an open letter published today, the UK Commission is inviting everyone with an interest in employment and skills to contribute to a set of recommendations to government on what needs to be changed in relation to the funding, measurement of outcomes and underpinning structures for publicly-funded employment and skills services.

Chris Humphries said:

”Since the establishment of the UK Commission, our Commissioners – who are senior employers and opinion-formers - have been extremely concerned by the complexity of the current employment and skills landscape.  They, along with many others, believe that a fundamentally simplified system would result in better quality, efficiency and performance.

“The work we are now embarking upon now comes at the request of both our own Commissioners, and of Government ministers, who are all concerned that action must to be taken if we are to have high quality employment and skills services that match the best of our international competitors.”

“We are focusing on what needs to change to make current services more responsive to employer needs, integrate the delivery of employment and skills services, and ultimately achieve significantly greater impact with fewer public resources.”

Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of the UK Commission and BT Group plc, added: “The complexity of the system is a perennial concern of employers. The government has realised this and asked us to come up with some strong recommendations for delivering higher performance for lower cost.

“We will be making serious and far-reaching recommendations to Government later this year about what needs to change.  At the moment, though, we are asking all those with an interest in employment and skills to help shape our thinking in this area by contributing to our consultation.”

The UK Commission’s remit from Government asks it to recommend ways in which skills delivery could be made simpler and more responsive to employers’ needs.   A report, due to be published in autumn, is likely to look specifically at:

• What are the most appropriate targets, measures and incentives to ensure that publicly funded employment and skills services deliver sustainable outcomes in jobs, skills and productivity?
• Given significant pressure on future public expenditure, how can public funding streams be simplified to lever substantially greater investment in workforce development from employers and individuals and to reduce administrative costs within the system?
• What measures are most likely to simplify complexity of organisations, processes and initiatives in order to maximise the value of public investment in frontline delivery

As part of the consultation process, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills will be hosting a free online seminar on Thursday 23 July, 2:30 – 4:00pm.  Participants include Sir Michael Bichard, Director, Institute for Government; Martin Dunford, Chairman, Association of Learning Providers (ALP); Prof John Philpott, Chief Economist, CIPD; James Westhead, broadcaster and journalist; and many more.  For more details about the simplification project, or to register to take part in the online seminar, go to www.commissionconsultation.com

Ends

About the UK Commission for Employment and Skills

The remit of the UK Commission is to provide vigorous and independent challenge, advising Government at the highest levels across the UK on employment and skills strategy, targets, policies and progress towards challenging competitiveness goals, including the vision of an 80% employment rate by 2020.  It has been asked by the Government to report on crucial issues, such as the employability skills employers need for future economic success, how UK employers can use skills to become more globally competitive, and whether further institutional change is required to deliver better integrated employment and skills services.

Further information from Alex Curling, Head of Press, 01709 774890

Alex.curling@ukces.org.uk