Skills Strategies

Skills Investment Statement Launched

5th December 2011

Skills Investment Statement

Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations are "very important" to the delivery of learning and skills in the UK.  At the launch of the Skills Investment Statement on December 1^st 2011 John Hayes, The Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, suggested that FE had become quite homogenous and used the term 'vanilla flavour' to describe the FE system. He indicated that non college providers add to the mix and emphasised the importance of doing more to use Third Sector providers. He also offered a guarantee that Adult and Community Learning, basic skills and apprenticeships will always get support within the current government.

Both John Hayes and Baroness Sharpe highlighted the importance of effective partnership working to deliver FE outcomes and were keen to raise the profile of skills development and vocational routes for learning.

Derbyshire Learning & Development Consortium was able to attend the launch through the Chair Bob Pick asked The Minister a question on behalf of their 162 members.

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) also published their response to the FE reform consultation, called the Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan: Building a World Class Skills System. Measures outlined in New Challenges, New Chances aim to give employers the power to support the design and delivery of new courses, helping create greater confidence in qualifications and equip learners with the skills they need. The Skills Minister also confirmed £3.8 billion investment in the sector in 2012-13 and indicative funding for the following year.

Please follow the links below for the Skills Investment Statement and Skills System Reform Plan

Further Education Skills system reform plan.pdf

Skills Investment Statement.pdf

Skills for Sustainable Growth

http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2010/Nov/skills-for-sustainable-growth 

The strategy sets out the Government's vision for reform of the further education and skills system in order to improve the skills of the workforce, the performance of the economy and engagement in learning.

• Skills for Sustainable Growth policy page
• Read the executive summary (PDF, 1.7 Mb) 
• Read the full report (PDF, 393 Kb)  
• Read Investing in skills for sustainable growth (PDF, 159 Kb) 
• Skills for sustainable growth: summary of responses to a consultation on the future direction of skills strategy (PDF, 149 Kb) 
• Skills for Sustainable Growth and Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth: Equality impact Assessment (PDF, 363 Kb)