Written - The Leitch Report

On behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government I would like to welcome warmly the final report by Lord Leitch on the current skills profile and future needs of the UK workforce published yesterday.  I am particularly grateful to Lord Leitch for the way in which he has involved the Welsh Assembly Government in the preparation of his report and for his recognition that devolved administrations will need to give their own consideration to its recommendations.

I intend to consult closely with employers, trades unions and others over coming months to see how we can use his vision to further develop our exciting skills agenda here in Wales. In particular we will want to ensure that our employers through the Sector Skills Councils have a major role in the future development of vocational qualifications and work based learning. We also look forward to the outcomes of the review of the further education sector in Wales led by Sir Adrian Webb, which will be able to consider the Leitch recommendations within its remit.

Many of the Leitch recommendations support what we are already doing in Wales. We already have, through the Skills and Employment Action Plan, an integrated approach to raising the level of both skills and employment. We have a long way to go but we have recognised the importance of that policy integration. Our approach also supports the demand-led message that has been emphasised by Lord Leitch. Employers need to be more in the driving seat when it comes to up-skilling the workforce. We have gone a long way to achieve that through Future Skills Wales research, which identifies the skills employers need, our strong support for the Sector Skills Councils in Wales and through the new National Planning and Funding System for post-16 learning. Our new Workforce Development Programme provides tailored packages of training support to meet the needs of individual employers.

Other recommendations of the Leitch report resonate closely with our policies and programmes such as his support for a good quality careers service, an Employer Pledge programme, as we already have for basic skills in Wales, and Individual Learning Accounts.

I believe Wales has begun a revolution in learning. That is a clear devolution dividend for Wales. The vision is clear. Our approach is learner and employer-focused, community-orientated and founded upon the collaborative principles, which underpin our whole approach to public service improvement.

Since 1999 we in Wales have more than played our part in taking forward the skills agenda. It is pleasing that Lord Leitch has recognised this in his report. I now look forward to facing the challenges which lie ahead in this area and to using this important report as a guide for how we can accelerate the progress we have already made.