Reaction to Brown’s workplace agenda
By Sue Mennell (12-07-2007)
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown introduced the Education and Skills Bill to the House of Commons as part of a draft legislative programme.
The Education and Skills Bill will bring into force the key recommendations of the Leitch Review, making training or education compulsory for all under-18s, and in order to achieve the target that 95% of adults should have basic numeracy and literacy skills, giving a new legal right for adults to receive free training in basic literacy and numeracy. There will be duties on employers to release young people for education or training.
Both the CIPD and the CBI commented on the Education and Skills Bill.
Martyn Sloman, CIPD Skills Adviser said, “Many of the proposals contained within the education and skills bill are aimed at giving young people and lower-skilled employees access to training. The duty on employers to release young people to undertake training and check that they are participating before employing them is particularly noteworthy. However, while HR will be expected to encourage and check that such training is being carried out, it should not be the employer’s role to enforce this policy.”
CBI Director-General Richard Lambert said: "With the UK having one of the highest proportions of young people not in education, employment and training, employers accept the need to raise the participation age. But the government must beware the unintended of consequences of discouraging businesses from providing valuable work opportunities to people because of burdensome duties to check and monitor their participation on training courses. Without employers' buy-in this measure could lead to even fewer young people engaged in work and learning."
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