§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress on the alignment of national, local and sectored skills strategies. [134977]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Skills Strategy "21st Century Skills—Realising our Potential", published on 9 July 2003, set a long-term agenda through to 2010. Central to the success of the strategy is ensuring that implementation is achieved in a sustained and coherent way. We have firmed a national Skills Alliance, bringing together the key Government Departments with employer and union representatives and the key delivery agencies to drive forward the Skills Strategy delivery plan. At the first meeting on 14 October, the Skills Alliance agreed its terms of reference and began to identify its priorities and a forward agenda to end 2004. The members decided that its focus would be on strategic issues; monitoring progress; delivery on the ground; and ensuring collaboration between the key agencies. The Alliance intends to report on progress annually.
Specific approaches include Sector Skills Agreements, which will be designed and delivered in collaboration with the national arid local Learning and Skills Councils and Regional Development Agencies to ensure that there is a coherent response to sector needs nationally, regionally and locally. We have also asked Regional Development Agencies to work with key partners, including LSCs, Jobcentre Plus and Small Business Service taking acccunt of the needs of sectors. Together, in consultation with a wide range of other partners, they will develop proposals to establish partnerships which will ensure that employment, skills and business support priorities are addressed in an integrated way. We expect the first regional skills partnerships to be in place from April 2004.