Skills Shortages (Hansard, 21 January 2004)

§ Mr. Ivan Lewis

This Department recognises the disparity between levels of necessary skills in particularly disadvantaged areas such as former coalfield areas and more affluent areas. It is addressing these issues through policies and targeted measures that focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning, tackling social exclusion and providing support to families and learners.

"The Skills Strategy", published in July 2003, announced new resources for: creating a new entitlement to free learning for anyone without a good foundation of employability skills to get the training they need to achieve such a qualification (Level 2); providing targeted support for higher level skills at technician, higher craft or associate professional level. This support will be focused on those who are developing their skills and qualifications to Level 3, in priority areas to meet sectoral and regional skill needs. The support will be provided through the new regional skills partnerships, and planned and funded by the local Learning and Skills Councils; 1333W piloting the delivery of a new learning grant for adults in further education. This will be modelled on the existing education maintenance allowance for 16 to 19-year-olds. It will be aimed at adults studying full-time for their first full Level 2 qualification, and young adults studying full-time for their first full Level 3 qualification. One of the areas it is being piloted in, from September, is South Yorkshire; safeguarding the provision in each local area of a wide range of learning for adults, for culture, leisure, community and personal fulfilment purposes. While giving priority to better work-related skills training, each local Learning and Skills Council will have funds to work with others to support that range of learning, including learning for pensioners; providing better information, advice and guidance on skills, training and qualifications, so that people know what is available, what the benefits are, and where to go. To achieve this, we will combine the network of local advice partnerships with the national advice helpline provided by Ufi/learndirect; and Learning Communities to tackle low adult aspiration and skills and intergenerational deprivation by making a specific but strong connection between the development of a communities skills base and the contribution that it can make to meeting the regional skills needs and priorities expressed by the FRESA. The goal is not just social improvement, vital though this is. Learning Communities will add value by raising regional prosperity and productivity through raising skills because this, in itself, is a powerful way of addressing social disadvantage.

This Department also recognises the importance of coordinating its policies effectively to make an impact in deprived areas and is working with the LSC, RDA, local authorities and Coalfields organisations such as the Coalfield Communities Campaign (CCC) to achieve effective targeting and cohesion.

We work with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), both nationally and with each of its 47 local offices, to ensure that education, skills and employment policies all come together sensibly in communities. We have ensured that local LSCs have the flexibility to allocate their resources where they are most needed so that they can make maximum impact in disadvantaged communities, and can draw on funding from elsewhere e.g. European Social Funding (ESF).

The nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) help ensure, for example, that their Regeneration and Skills Development Funds are targeted to impact on Neighbourhood Renewal areas and can set aside specific funds to address basic skills needs in their regions.