Abstract |
Employability matters. Possessing and developing the skills necessary to enter employment, perform work tasks well and progress at work is critically important. It is essential for individuals if they are to improve their life chances, capabilities and livelihood. And it is vital to ensuring that the UK develops to secure its place as a world-class modern economy, based on the high calibre skills and knowledge of its workforce. Successfully developing better skills, knowledge and capabilities for all types of work means we must base vocational and occupationally-specific learning on strong foundations of literacy, numeracy and spoken communication. The workplace is the best site for many people to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, develop the motivation and confidence to persist with learning, and get on better at work. Workplace learning is best placed to reflect, and quickly respond to, the needs of employers, unions and employees. Many people who say they would never have gone back to learning in formal education have already benefited. There are millions more who can benefit from learning at work, and learning for work. By addressing the needs of unemployed people; young adults who are multiply disadvantaged and not in work, training or education; older people wishing to develop their skills or people in other 'hard-to-reach' groups, we can boost the skills, capabilities and confidence of the workforce.
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