14 September 2006

They may have booed Tony Blair at their annual conference this week, bit like old times really, but those members of the TUC with an interest in learning and skills may have found a TUC Report released the week before more to their taste.

Designed to contribute to Lord Leitch’s much anticipated Review of UK Skills, the Report argues that “unions are in a unique position to tackle the workplace skills shortage and have already made big strides in encouraging and supporting workers back into training and education.” Much of this has come through the activity of unionlearn, previously the Union Academy and since July, armed with a 3 year Strategic Plan that focuses heavily on learning and skills. Also through the activity of Union Learning Reps (ULRs.) As of this summer there were some 14,000 of these trained reps who between them had helped over 100,000 employees into learning over the past year. The aim is to have 22,000 ULRs in place by 2010 with a target of helping a quarter of a million learners in the workplace each year.

But of course there is a long way to go. The key message coming out of Leitch’s Interim Report last year was that even if we met our current skills targets, we’d still have a long way to go before becoming world class. “At least 4m adults will still not have the literacy skills of an 11 year old and 12m would not have numeracy skills at this level.” No wonder one of the most overused words in the Report was ‘ambition,’ or rather a lack of; “the Leitch Review believes that the UK must urgently raise its game” that was its sober conclusion.

Part of the problem and one which this Report sets out to tackle is a lack of training. The TUC’s view is that despite Government incentives, and of course this month sees the last areas rolling out the Government sponsored Train to Gain programme, many employers are “refusing to train their workers.” The West Midlands apparently has the worst record for training and the North East the best but overall the TUC claims that “over two thirds of employers provide no training at all to their staff” and that “just under two fifths of employees did not receive any training over the past year.”

That adds up to nearly 8.5m people, a figure supported by recent SSDA research on small business training and by the 2005 National Employers Skills Survey, although the Survey does point out that size is a key determinant. “Half of the smallest establishments with fewer than 5 employees and just over a fifth of those with 5 -24 employees had not provided any training in the previous 12 months. In contrast, well over nine tenths of establishments with 25 or more staff had trained some of their employees over the previous 12 months.” As this figure appears to be slowly rising it may not all be bad news but it’s an issue the TUC seems keen to tackle particularly as it fears that the Leitch Report’s comprehensive analysis of UK skills may fail to be followed up by any substantive action. This is, it has to be said, the fate of many Reports and one they are right to highlight in advance. The TUC’s view is that “simply tinkering with the existing voluntary skills framework is not an option. Taking up the theme set out in the Education Guardian in July of Leitch needing to do for skills what Turner has done for pensions, the Report argues that “we need to achieve agreement on the need for a post voluntary skills framework.” Such language has been used before, notably by Gordon Brown but what on earth does it mean?

Post voluntary framework is not a phrase that roll easily off the tongue but then nor do a lot of phrases in the world of learning and skills. Decoded, it seems to mean that we need to be a bit clearer about where responsibilities lie for developing skills and where a bit of back up of statutory powers is needed.

For those still struggling to come to terms with the concept, this Report sets out “policy reforms in five areas that the TUC believe would bring about a viable post voluntary skills framework.”

Firstly, and an example presumably of a post voluntary position, is that “adult employees without a Level 2 should have a statutory right to request paid time off to train.” The Report recognises that the onset of Train to Gain may make time off a bit easier to secure but believes “there are limits to what a voluntary programme like this can achieve, especially as the evaluation of the pilots showed that many employers who were averse to training their staff declined to participate.” Hence the call for a stronger stick in the form of a statutory right.

Secondly, the Report calls for a ‘stronger, social partnership’ on skills at national, regional and sectoral levels. Cuddly words but there’s an important issue underneath. The Report points to the recent research from the SSDA on how other countries are tackling the skills issue. Among the factors identified in the SSDA research was the importance of ensuring both employers and employees feel ownership. The TUC has become concerned that the current focus is employer led; in that well worn phrase they are in the driving seat but does that mean that employees are in the back seat? The Report wants an employment led rather than an employer led approach and suggests that Sector Skill Agreements could play a key role in ensuring this by highlighting policy priorities such as paid time off to train and action on skills discrimination.

Thirdly, the Reports calls for Government and employers to invest more in adult skills. It accepts the oft quoted figure of £33bn spent on training by employers but of course much of this is soaked up in fees and labour costs. Its particular concern, however, is that too much of the training is “informal workplace training that does not lead to the acquisition of recognised qualifications by the majority of employees.” From its own research only 11.5% of employees last year were training for a nationally recognised qualification. This it believes is a very short sighted attitude to training.

Fourth and fifth, the Report urges positive action on the discrimination faced by many groups in the labour market trying to access training and development, again perhaps by using Sector Skill Agreements, and for an ‘equal voice in workplace skills bargaining;’ for example using training as a collective bargaining issue.

Some interesting proposals even though many minds were on the comings and goings elsewhere.

© Edexcel Policy Watch 2005. Steve Besley is General Manger of Education Policy at Edexcel. Policy watch is a service intended to help busy people understand developments in the world of education. Visit Edexcel at www.edexcel.org.uk