Welfare Reform on the Web (April 2002): Education - UK - Training
AN EDUCATION FOR TOMORROW'S WORKERS
A. Wood
Financial Times, Feb 13th 2002, p. 17
Argues that the UK needs to focus on raising basic literacy and numeracy skills and on improving vocational training by fostering links between schools and business.
RAILWAYS APPRENTICE SCHEME TO INCLUDE OVER -50s
J. Kelly
Financial Times, Feb 15th 2002, p. 3
In order to combat acute skills shortages in the rail industry, government has set aside £500,000 for a pilot scheme offering modern apprenticeship to over-25s, including over-50s.
REVELATIONS ON LEARNING SCHEME ADD TO WORRYING PICTURE
J. Kelly
Financial Times, Jan 31st 2002, p. 6
York Consulting, hired by the government to check on the failed Individual Learning Accounts scheme, found that a third of the 4000 account holders it surveyed had no idea that they were registered. It also discovered that a quarter of 650 account holders, listed as having received grants, claimed never to have got them.
TIME OFF FOR BASIC SKILLS
Anon
Labour Research, vol. 91, Feb 2002, p. 17-18
Young people are becoming more qualified but many adults have no qualifications. UK labour productivity lags behind that of other industrialised countries. The government plans to rectify this through "workforce development". Pilot schemes will offer compensation to employers providing paid time off for training.