The government last month announced the launch of National Skills Academies covering five new sectors: rail engineering, logistics, green building services, biotechnology and composites. (The National Skills Academy for Power is already open and will receive a further £2.9 million of government funding.) The academies aim to attract more than 300,000 learners to training programmes over the next four years, and bring the total number of National Skills Academies in the UK to 18.

The government has also launched a joint investment programme that matches employer investment in priority sectors, while the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) has published its first National Strategic Skills Audit. EDF Energy, for example, says that it expects to recruit thousands of highly skilled people in the coming years, and plans to expand its apprentice and graduate programmes to develop the skills required.



 

Eva Eisenschimmel, Chief Officer – People, Organisation & Brand Performance at EDF, says, ‘The UK needs the right workforce to build a low-carbon economy. Energy and related services is going to be a huge growth area for jobs and can help drive the country through the recession.


 

This report by UKCES is an important step in understanding the UK’s needs, what opportunities that will create and what skills we need to develop. We need an infrastructure in place that can deliver the right people for the job.’