UKCES

Without employability skills:

• it will be more challenging for the UK economy to achieve its productivity goals
• individuals will find it harder to get and progress in rewarding work
• several important strands in UK employment and skills policy may be unachievable

The UK Commission believes that a central part of what all publicly-funded training should do is to develop the ability to use knowledge and skills in the workplace effectively. Many learning providers already do help learners develop employability skills. Many, however either neglect to teach employability skills or, for funding or capacity reasons, find it difficult to develop them. The purpose of this document is to set out an unequivocal challenge to practitioners and policy-makers, to raise the status of employability skills, improve practice in developing them, and create a policy environment in which good practice flourishes.

This document is an opening, not a closing statement. It has two perspectives. It concentrates on good practice in the individual learning environment, because that has to be the focus of action. It draws on several studies of what individual employment and skills providers do, and it includes a review of the relevant academic literature. It is not, however, aimed only at teaching and training professionals. It is for all those who are, or need to be, active in making employability skills a reality. Good practice will not flourish without a surrounding framework of policy, funding and assessment that empowers and encourages practitioners to make full use of it.

If you would like to receive a hard copy please email ukces@prolog.uk.com quoting the full report title, the reference number 00487-2009BKT-EN and a full postal address. Copies will be distributed free of charge whilst stocks last. Please note there is a five copy limit per person.