Investing in People

1. Introducion

The overall aim of the Government's national training strategy is to help secure a skilled and productive workforce.

The role of Government is:

to provide leadership and strategic direction,

to develop and promote a first class education and training system, including the development of a comprehensive national system of vocational qualifications,

and to help those people who are unemployed and at a disadvantage in the jobs marked to get back to work and develop their abilities to the full.

The Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales and the Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) in Scotland manage the Government's training programs for young people. Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) are another important element of the national framework. They monitor the future develop and promote occupational standards and vocational qualifications.

Some strategic priorities for the national framework:

Employers must invest more effectively in the skills their businesses need;

young people must have the motivation to achieve their full potential and skills the economy needs;

the providers of education and training must offer high quality and flexible provising which meets the need of individuals and employers;

people who are unemployed and those at a disadvantage in the jobs market must be helped to get back to work and to develop their abilities to the full.

There are eight National Education and Training Targets in all. Four cover "Foundation Learning" which means that you can learn like in school or university, and the other four targets are about "Lifetime Learning" which means that you can take part in training in the afternoon.

2. The National Training Framework

2.1 Government organisations

The Employment Department is organised into four directorates.

Training and Enterprise Directorate (TEED)

It is responsible for work on training, enterprise and education policy. An other organisation called National Training Task Force (NTTF) was established to help TEED. The main assignment of the NTTF is to research into training, enterprise and vocational development, research priorities and sponsoring seminars on emerging issues and trends.

The Industrial Relations and International Directorate (IRID)

It is responsible for the promotion of a competitive and efficient market by improving industrial relations, removing barriers and safeguarding the employment rights of individuals. (It is like the "Arbeiterkammer" in Austria.)

Resources and Strategy Directorate (RSD)

It provides corporate services and economics, research and evaluation support to all staff in the Employment Department headquarters.

The Employment Service

It's main aim is to help promote a competitive and efficient labour market by giving positive help to unemployed people through their search for a job.

Its aims in relation to training are:

to provide unemployed people with job opportunities,

job search seminars,

job review workshops,

restart courses,

to provide particular assistance to young people with a disability to take advantage of work and training opportunities.

2.2 Industrial organisations

The ITO´s (Industrial Training Organisations) are responsible for defining the current and future training needs of their respective industry sectors. They are doing this by improving company performance and promoting meaningful standards of competence.

identifying and monitoring key skill needs and training requirements

developing and promoting the resulting vocational qualifications

are other assignments.

There are about 120 different Industrial Training Organisations.

2.3 Local organisations

The TEC´s (Training and Enterprise Councils) are independent companies who have contracts with the Secretary of State. TEC´s are the heart of local training initiatives. They help to provide the country with the skilled and enterprising workforce it needs. Their aim is to provide particle community-based help  to employers investing in training. For example the mission of the Hampshire TEC is: "To encourage economic growth through effective training and enterprise."

Now some facts of Hampshire TEC:

young people training 7036

young people with special needs      286

adults in training                               1565

adults achieving a job or qualification         1011

For training for young people they needed 600,000 pounds. They are so good because they are working with some of the industrial sectors to identify ways in which it could best meet their needs.

The TEC in Hampshire is so useful because more than 11000 workers lost their job and so they could prepare training initiatives designed to reskill these workers.

In Scotland for example, 21,4 million pound where spent in enterprise training, 92,3 million in youth training, and 103,6 million pound in adult training. The companies received a total of 329,5 million pounds from the Scottish Enterprise in 1991-1992. This provided 37,500 youth training places, and 7,500 young people left with vocational qualifications.

There is no difference between Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Policy Initiatives

The policies which I describe afterwards, are part of an Employment Department budget of 2,680 million pounds for training, enterprise and vocational education programs.

3.1 Training for Work

Training for Work is especially for people who where unemployed for six months ore more. There are places for 150,000 people planned. People learn to improve and update skills or to learn new ones.

3.2 Youth Training

It is for 16 to 17 year old people who leave school. They learn till they are 18 years old. Youth Training puts great emphasis on raising the level of qualifications of new entrans to the workforce. More than 3,500,000 young people were trained since 1983.

3.3 Employment Training

Is the training for people aged 18 or over who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. Like Youth Training it is delivered by training providers and over 1,400,000 people have entered the programme since 1992.

3.4 Training Credits

Credits issued to young people which allow them to choose training to approved standards. Some TECs are extending the principle to cover the training of adults.

3.5 Investors in People

Is a national standard designed to encourage employers to recognise the importance of the link between the development of people and business success.

3.6 Technical and Vocational Education Initiative

Technical and Vocational Education Initiative is responsible for promoting closer links between the education system and industry and commerce.

3.7 Compacts

These are local agreements between employers, local education authorities and training providers in inner city areas to help young people gain experience.

3.8 Career Development Loans

Career Development Loans are loans to encourage individuals to invest in their own future.

3.9 High Technology National Training

This is a training for unemployed people in high technology skills to fill vacancies for known national skills shortages.

3.10 Enterprise in Higher Educations

Enterprise in Higher Educations is funding to develop higher education graduates who are better prepared for working life.

3.11 Jobcentres

Jobcentres are community-bases sites which will soon be integrated with benefit offices to offer a one stop service to their clients.

Training Organisations and employer Training

In every sector of economy in Britain are some private companies that offer a range of training products. The National Index of Training lists these organisations and divides the economy into sectors:

4.1 Communication

The training company BMI International offers different courses in body language for managers. There is a course called Communication for the Countryside, & Communication Training for the Government.

4.2 Computers and Information Technology

350 organisations offer 2000 different courses in computers and information technology. Most of this courses are not just in spoken words, but in the different computer languages.

4.3 Finance

In this courses you learn to deal with the needs of business people from ethnic minorities, for small businesses and for high specialised businessmen.

4.4 Management

There are courses offered which are special for land purchase and business start-up in France, training in Export Credit Management, .. . But there are also effective courses for farmers in the agriculture sector.

4.5 Industrial Management

General management courses may not meet the needs of those who have to control the productive process, so industrial management courses are available which concentrate on practical application. This training helps people to become instructors in a wide range of industrial activities.

4.6 Marketing

In this courses you learn to sell techniques, especially through telephones. But you also learn to promote and sell in shops.

4.7 Training Trainers

Finally the training sector needs to train people to deliver its services. You learn everything you need to train people who need help.

4.8 BBC Select

BBC-Select is a broadcast training programme during the night for videoing by those who have a decoder. You are allowed to make copies and borrow them to friends or show them to different groups.

Education and Qualifications

5.1 Higher Education

The Higher Education sector in Britain is a major provider of specialist training in vocational and academic subjects. Most of the wives are studying law or teacher training. Men's most wanted are computer studies.

5.2 The National Council for Vocational Qualifications

It is training more people to higher levels so they can produce good quality products and services. They are based on standards  developed by industry and commerce. They also produce information in other languages.

Community

Inner cities present many problems for government agencies that seek to retrain and reskill the workforce. But in many cases the communities themselves respond and with government and private sector funding they set up their own training and enterprise centres.