Skills initiative judged to be falling short
A multi-billion pound government skills strategy has failed to significantly improve literacy standards or leave a legacy of workplace training, according to a new report.
The Skills for life strategy was deemed to have been ineffective for both employers and employees by the study of basic skills learning in the workplace.
Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at King’s College London, which led the study, said: ‘Ministers keep announcing that huge numbers of people have “improved their basic skills” because of Skills for life. They need to realise that attending a short course, or collecting a certificate, does not mean that people have necessarily learned anything.’
The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, identifies course lengths being too short as one of the main reasons for the failing initiative, with participants receiving a total of 30 hours teaching on average.
A year after students had completed the Skills for life course, there were no significant improvements statistically in literacy for English-speaking employees.
With the economic performance of participating companies also failing to significantly benefit, Prof Wolf said there were ‘no big obvious gains’, adding: ‘It is clear from our research that policymakers are mistaken in expecting immediate and major effects on productivity.’
Another concern cited by the study was the inability of the workplace to support formal learning, with firms and public sector organisations struggling to combine classes with work patterns or provide the long-term stability required for effective learning.
Employers were ‘not particularly concerned’ about their employees’ literacy skills, according to the research, while increased productivity was not expected by employer or learner.
A broader benefit of the course was a boost to workers’ confidence. A significant number went on to do further courses and 75% acknowledged feeling differently about education as a result of participating in Skills for life.
The team behind the study will explain to policymakers how the current funding and entitlement rules prevent adults with poor basic skills from obtaining the extended tuition they need, as well as suggest ways to address the problem.
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