Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills (December 2006)

By Mary Carson

The findings

Asked by the Government in 2004 to consider the UK's long-term skills needs, the Leitch Review found that although the UK economy had grown strong and stable in the past 14 years, with the highest employment rate in the G7, that position would not be maintained for long unless the country did something about a skills base that is weak compared to other countries. And this situation holds back productivity, further growth and social justice.

The Review found, in 2005, that even if current improvement targets were met, the UK's skills base would still lag behind that of many comparable countries by 2020. Action needed to be taken. And that action needed to include reforms to schools, college and universities and an improvement in basic literacy.

'As a result of low skills, the UK risks increasing inequality, deprivation and child poverty, and risks a generation cut off permanently from labour market opportunity,' the report stated.

'The best form of welfare is to ensure that people can adapt to change. Skills were once a level for prosperity and fairness. Skills are now increasingly the key lever.'

How to increase skills

At the core of all acquiring the skills for the modern, global labour market, is learning to read, write and count. Yet Leitch found that 15% of the UK's adult population did not have even the basic skills of reading and writing.

The report pointed out that 70% of our 2020 workforce had already left schools and recommended radical reforms in order to ensure that the current one in six leaving school without knowing how to read, write and add up properly is turned around.

And the rewards, it claimed, would be great for the individual, the nation and the economy.

'The prize for achievement this ambition is great – a more prosperous and fairer society. The Review estaimtes a possible net benefit of at least £80 billion over 30 years. This would come from a boost in the productivity growth rate of up to 15 per cent and an increase in the employment growth rate by around 10 per cent. Social deprivation, poverty and inequality with diminish,' said the report.

Statistics

Out of 30 countries that for an organisation called the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or OECD, the UK lies 17th on low skills, 20th on intermediate and 11th on high skills.

Five million adults lack functional literacy.

38% of people claiming benefits in 2005 were functionally illiterate.

A copy of the Leitch Review can be downloaded here  »

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites

Telling It Like It Is | The Rose Review | Leitch Review of Skills | The Progress in International Literacy Study | On the Inside | Tackling Low Educational Achievement

Top