Rachael’s blog: getting a clear focus on skills

It was good to get a clear and thoughtful insight into the new role and focus of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills from its Chief Executive Michael Davis at our first FEdS seminar of the autumn.

The UK Commission survived the much-publicised “bonfire of the quangos” to be given a new purpose by the Coalition Government as an NDPB of BIS in “maximising UK skills to achieve enterprise, sustainable growth and job creation across the UK”.

We’ll be producing a FEdS’ seminar paper shortly, available to all our members, covering the key points of  Michael’s presentation and the debate that followed but I thought I’d share a couple of them here:

1. The hugely impressive board of Commissioners which provides leadership and focus. I worked in the UK Commission before joining FEdS and saw how exciting, but also how challenging, it was to find the best and most effective way of using such a powerful group of people. So it was interesting to hear Michael describe how they had scrapped the timetable of committees and board meetings, and now connect Commissioners wherever and whenever they need to collaborate and make decisions. It will be interesting to see how this more dynamic style of Commissioner- leadership works. But look at the line-up:  http://www.ukces.org.uk/assets/bispartners/ukces/images/commissioners/commissioner-overview-large.jpg  – and imagine what a conference call is like! Michael mentioned that it was quite something to hear a robust exchange of views between chief execs of corporate organisations, trade union leaders and heads of SMEs and voluntary bodies. Now that’s a rare opportunity and one which gives the UK Commission a voice and influence. It will need both if it is to achieve one of its key priorities: making and winning the economic case for greater investment in skills. As a journalist, I was struck by the potential to argue that case much more publicly via the media.
2.  Ownership is powerful: Michael spoke about the Commission’s priority outcomes and the shift in thinking now driving them. He said: “The key to understanding the sentiment behind the thinking of Commissioners is to move from employer leadership of a government agenda to responsible employer ownership of the agenda.” In other words let’s invest in the training solutions created by employers, with their employees, that drive up skills growth and job creation – and which give them the purchasing power to do it. This has long been the Holy Grail for achieving employer investment in skills. But how to do it? It is going to take time, commitment and support. The UK Commission has a tough brief in an age of economic crisis and chaos – but, as Michael said, the greatest innovations have been created in such times. Let’s hope this powerhouse of a Commission can, on its reduced budget, turn ambition into reality. More than that, let’s make sure they don’t work alone.

A final point, after the seminar a colleague said how much he enjoyed Michael’s presentation, adding: “He’s an economist, isn’t he. It’s good to get the facts, the stats and a clear picture.”

Given that we are still in the middle of a party conference season, full of the usual patronising, juvenile and simplistic sound bites, we both knew exactly what he meant.

My thanks to FEdS’ member City and Guilds for so generously hosting this seminar. Our next event is on November 3 and it will focus on apprenticeships with David Smale of the NAS. Invitations will be issued shortly. David will be looking at issues of most relevance to employers.