3.3 Transforming learning in the workplace will primarily be for employers, employees and the self-employed to achieve. The Government will help people to invest in learning by lifting barriers to access and improving the quality of support available to businesses and individuals. We will combine effective pressure and support within an effective legislative framework. We have recently announced plans to strengthen this framework by legislating to ensure that all 16 and 17 year-old employees can undertake education and training up to NVQ level 2 (if they are not already there) - see Chapter Four.

3.4 We will maintain the statutory powers of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board to raise a levy from employers to fund training. We note an encouraging trend in other sectors for this to happen on a voluntary basis; for example, SKILLSET runs a levy in the broadcasting and film industry to ensure that there are enough trained freelance technicians. We will support those industries that wish to strengthen training in this way.

Setting targets

3.5 Targets provide a focus for action and a benchmark for progress. We believe they will help employers and employees in changing the culture in many workplaces. We propose to set new targets in three areas:

• young people: just over 70 per cent of 19 year-olds reach a level 2 qualification and 48 per cent of 21 year olds reach level 3. Significant further progress is needed to match world class standards;

• adults: 42 per cent of the workforce have a level 3 qualification and 24 per cent have level 4. This is well short of the current targets (60 per cent at level 3 and 30 per cent at level 4) and of what is needed for a competitive economy; and

• employers: the present target focuses on reaching the Investors in People National Standard as the main measure of employers' development of the people who work for them. 76 per cent of organisations employing more than 200 employees and 40 per cent of those employing 50 or more have either reached the National Standard or are committed to it.

3.6 We are currently consulting on options for new national targets and would welcome comments on what these targets should be. (For a copy of the consultative document Targets for our future, call 0845 60 222 60.) Once the new targets are agreed, we will work closely with industry, with the support of the National Advisory Council for Education and Training Targets, to meet them.

3.7 We intend to monitor progress regularly to see what further steps might be required to ensure that the needs of the economy are met. We must ensure that sustainable economic growth is not constrained by a lack of skills, and that the level of education and training in the workplace matches that of the best among our competitors.