NOCN Group Chief Executive sets out ‘World Class Skills System for Fair Economic Growth’ in new report

UK-based international charity and ‘skills solutions’ provider NOCN Group has published a new report in which its Chief Executive Graham Hasting-Evans sets out a ‘World Class Skills System for Fair Economic Growth’.

The report is designed to open up a debate on “fixing the foundations” of what Graham calls the “broken”, “fragmented” and “ineffective” UK Skills System, to support a fair, sustainable, equitable, circular economy which delivers growth for all. It highlights the vital role of improving the skills and productivity of the whole of the UK’s workforce in driving economic growth.

Ben Rowland, CEO of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) explains: 

“We often talk about ‘the Skills System’.  But most of the time as stakeholders and policy makers we focus on separate components of the system and how, individually, they might be optimised. This report from NOCN Group is, therefore, more important than most because it genuinely talks about the whole system, as a system. The Policy Framework NOCN puts forward combined with their proposed Institutional Structure are vital reading for everyone in the sector, especially against the backdrop of fragmentation and diluted ambition. This report is a really important addition to the future direction of the Skills System not just in England, but for the UK as a whole.”

While recognising that the Government’s planned set up of Skills England and the Growth & Skills Levy are steps forward, Graham argues that this needs to go further to adopt a ‘whole systems approach’, embedded in economic policy. A system which:

• puts the whole of the UK on the same footing and ensures the workforce has highly productive and digitally-savvy, internationally transferable skills as good as the best in the world; 
• achieves high levels of well-paid employment and reduces the dependency on immigration to fill skills gaps while recognising that, in a global economy, movement of people between countries is both necessary and healthy; and 
• is globally recognised as an exemplar, under-pinned by world class occupational standards with excellent competency frameworks and skills development programmes, allowing people to continue to develop throughout their lives and allowing industry sectors to have the workforce they need to drive a circular economy forward.

NOCN Group Chief Executive Graham Hasting-Evans says:

“Currently, we have high numbers of people of all ages who did not return to work after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown and increasing numbers of people under the age of 24 who are ‘not in education, employment and training’ (NEETs). Our skills and education policies are confused and fragmented and, as a result, we do not really have a UK Skills System that allows individuals and organisations to thrive and the UK to reach its potential.

“We must have the ambition, policy and commitment to make the necessary changes with a focus on the primary need for educating our young people to enter the workforce and the economic imperative to constantly upskill that workforce to reap the economic benefits of technological innovation and the move to Net-Zero.”

NOCN Group’s suggestion is that the Skills System must be designed on the basis of UK-wide collaboration of all stakeholders and recognise the imperative of devolution of consistent delivery.

Stakeholders are encouraged to take part in the debate on the future of the UK Skills System to help shape and implement it.

Read the report HERE