Policy
Employers have a major role to play in improving workforce basic skills. The Skills Strategy White Paper launched in July 2003 commits the Government to meet the skills challenges required for the 21st century. It is helping to ensure employers have the right skills they need in their businesses, including basic skills, and that individuals have the skills they need to be both employable as well as personally fulfilled. The CBI is currently working with the Government through the Skills for Success project which is looking to see how employers can work together to develop their employees' skills. Employers are being asked to support the Skills for Life national strategy for literacy and numeracy through becoming an employer champion, committed to take action to improve basic skills in their own organisation and publicly promoting the business case for supporting this issue. A Skills for Life Award, launched for the first time in 2004, will celebrate the positive impact of developing literacy and numeracy skills in the UK workforces.

As a major employer, the Government has pledged to encourage its own staff to improve their basic skills. The Department for Education and Skills, the Department for Work and Pensions and Customs and Excise are among the departments actively addressing the basic skills needs of their employees. Set up by the Government to support the modernisation of the NHS, the NHSU (the National Health Service University) is a new kind of university focusing solely on training and education for the NHS. Those who work in the voluntary sector will also have opportunities for training, including support for basic skills needs, to improve their capacity to deliver services in deprived communities.

By July 2004, the Department for Education and Skills estimates that over 50,000 people will have taken up the opportuntiy to improve their reading, writing and language skills through learning programmes being offered or supported in their own workplace.

Sector Skills Councils
A network of UK-wide Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) has been charged to lead the skills and productivity drive in industry or business sectors recognised by employers, including making sure that Modern Apprenticeships meet the needs of companies and colleges. SSCs bring together employers, trade unions and professional bodies working with government to develop the skills that UK business needs. Basic skills is a key priority.

A new UK office of the Sector Skills Development Agency was opened in September 2002, to develop, fund and champion the network of SSCs. At the same time the Government announced that it was to set up an advisory panel of public and private sector leaders and ministers, to improve the quality of management and leadership across the UK economy.

Research
There is strong evidence that having poor literacy and numeracy skills has an adverse effect on earnings and employment prospects. Improving the skills of the workforce is an important objective for many Government policy initiatives including the Skills Strategy and Skills for Life. Research shows that employers who have sponsored basic skills training are generally positive and, despite concerns about the poaching of trained workers, the evidence points strongly in the opposite direction. More research

Practice
Getting key staff and employees on board is crucial. Employees may need reassurance that any basic skills screening and training will be confidential and not jeopardise their jobs should they be seen to lack basic skills. Sometimes employees are more likely to come forward if the support is not packaged as basic skills; doing taster sessions using IT learning programmes, or family learning sessions,all help to break down barriers to involvement. The trades unions can play an important role since the union learning representatives have a direct and informal link to employees who might benefit from such training; the reps. are likely to be keen advocates, some because they have benefited from basic skills training themselves.

Also important is ensuring that key staff and managers are aware of the potential benefits. Very often the first step is to plan some basic skills awareness training sessions to air misconceptions or any management concerns, especially if training is to take place during working time. There are a number of basic skills provider institutions that have developed an expertise in working with employers to develop tailor-made training programmes to suit their needs.

For a link to information about British Petroleum (BP)'s "Developing People" training programme, which includes addressing the basic skills needs of its workforce, see below.

The Network - formerly the Workplace Basic Skills Network - is a membership organisation linking projects and initiatives in adult, community and further education, employers and trade unions working in workplace literacy. It provides advice and consultancy on how to develop programmes, as well as networking conferences and professional development courses for trainers. The website, www.thenetwork.co.uk, contains a number of case studies.

The Union Learning Fund, sponsored by the DfES, aims to help trade unions promote learning at work, and supports projects run in workplaces by a wide variety of unions. Thousands of people have undertaken training since the fund was set up in 1998: there were 28,000 in the first four years, 4,500 of whom trained to be learning representatives, providing initial advice and guidance to fellow workers about how to access further training. More

Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) were established by the Learning and Skills Councils in 2002. They are specialist areas of vocational provision lining colleges and other learning providers with business parterns to improve the quality of the workforce. Evaluation of the first 16 pathfinders by CRG consultancy found universal support from both customers and providers. Staff enjoyed using the new learning facilities leading to a boost in their confidence at work. By autumn 2003, over 200 CoVEs had been created with a target for 400 by March 2006. For a link to more information see below.

Skills for Life Advocates is a project run by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to recruit and support senior trade union officers to promote Skills for Life within their organisation. They are supported in this by a project team at TUC. For more information visit the TUC Learning Services site - see below