Learning and Development News

Three new national skills academies

By Sue Mennell (09-05-2008)
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Learning and Development News - Three new national skills academies

Skills Minister David Lammy has announced that the national skills academy network will be boosted by the creation of three new national skills academies: Sport and Active Leisure, Creative and Cultural and Hospitality.

Lammy said: "The national skills academy network will make a substantial contribution to the success of the UK economy.  By making a long term investment in high quality training, tailored to specific sector needs, the employers involved in these partnerships will reap dividends in terms of enhanced productivity, creativity and competitiveness."

Skills academies allow employers to work with government and other stakeholders to come up with effective solutions to address skills shortages that exist now or skills shortages that are predicted for the future.

It is the intention of the government to have skills academies in each major sector by 2011 and it will shortly launch a new prospectus which it hopes will encourage more employers to work together to set the skills agenda in their sectors. Academies already exist in sectors such as construction, food and drink manufacturing, financial services and nuclear.

The new academies have been created with specific goals in mind:

  • The National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure will take on twin goals of staging a successful Olympic Games in 2012 and ensuring 50 per cent of the nation is active and healthy by 2020. 
  • The National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural address the need for 30,000 skilled backstage staff over the next 10 years.
  • The National skills Academy for Hospitality is tasked with raising skills standards in an industry where it is estimated 860,000 new and replacement staff will be needed by 2012.

Michele Roberts, Director of Skills Development Network at the LSC said: “The network is result of teamwork between business and Government to keep training provision the core of these vital industries. We are working hard to help modernise training delivery so that it is relevant and keeps pace with employer demand. We want learners to access industry skills so they remain inspired and competitive for years to come.”

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