Partner Article

NE businesses urged to 'change today'

Secretary of State for Skills, John Denham, last week told North East businesses that skills provision in the UK would need to change to enable the country to remain competitive and prosperous. The minister stressed the importance of co-operation between businesspeople and training providers in order to develop a skills system able to respond to the needs of both employers and learners.

Mr Denham said: “We don’t have that strength in the skills base today. Unless we significantly up our game on skills in this country we are not going to have the basis to be competitive and prosperous in the future.”

The minister was the key speaker at ‘The Skills Pledge - MAKE the UK a World Leader 2020’ event held at the Hall Garth Hotel in Darlington. The event was organised by the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) as one in a series of national roadshows arranged by the British Chambers of Commerce.

James Ramsbotham, NECC chief executive, said: “It falls on all of us - the public sector and employers - to really get actively engaged in making sure we have the workforce for tomorrow and to see this region thrive, prosper and grow over the next few years.”

NECC, along with members including Pearsons and Dickinson Dees, cemented its commitment to improving the skills of its workforce by making the Skills Pledge at the event.

Finally Mr Denham said: “By engaging with the programme of training support the Government has put in place, and working in partnership with Further and Higher education providers, employers can help make the North East a leading centre for skills and innovation.”

For more information about the Skills Pledge and how to make the commitment, visit www.lsc.gov.uk/skillspledge or call 0800 015 5545.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .