A new report published by the leading skills organisation, City & Guilds Group, shows the worrying reality of the UK’s skills and productivity crisis.

The research - which was based on findings from labour market economists, Emsi and a poll of 500 working age people - shows that 34 per cent of employees have either never received training, or did so more than five years ago.  Only a half of employees were found to have received any workplace training in the last three years.  Also, 60 per cent of respondents felt that their employers were not fully capitalising on the skills that they had - with those skills being under utilised for at least 50 per cent of the time.

City & Guilds Group’s research found that:

• 44 per cent from lower socio-economic groups were much less likely to have received training in the last five years – against 68 per cent from higher socio-economic groups.
• 22 per cent from lower socio-economic groups were less satisfied with their career prospects – against 39 per cent of those from higher socio-economic groups.
• Respondents from the north of England were found to be disadvantaged with regard to training and opportunities for progression. Only 21 per cent of people in the north east of England felt positive about the jobs market – compared to 45 per cent in London.
• Significantly more women than men were working part-time with 61 per cent of the part-timers less likely to have received training in the last five years - compared to 72 per cent of those working full-time. In addition, 22 per cent of the part-time workers were far less likely to believe there was opportunity to progress – compared with 36 per cent of full-time workers.
• 77 per cent of those who had received workplace training highly valued it, stating that it had enabled them to be more effective at their job.

Kirstie Donnelly - Interim CEO at City & Guilds Group - commented:

“Today we are fortunate that unemployment sits at its lowest level since 1975, but this masks the fact that many people in the country are in fact under-employed and could contribute far more to society if given the opportunity. By unlocking more people’s full potential, we can both increase opportunities for social mobility and help to drive up productivity. Over the last decade, we have witnessed continued cuts to adult education funding, which has meant that certain groups of people have effectively been ‘left behind’. As the impact of Artificial Intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution continues to totally reshape the labour market, we need to see urgent action from the Government to reverse the decline of the lifelong learning sector – ensuring people in all areas have access to critical skills development and employers have access to the talent they so desperately need.” 

She added:

“From better provision of training and education across regions of the UK to better access to childcare giving more part-time workers the chance to up-skill, we need to see immediate action from government and policy makers. We are already lagging behind the other G7 countries when it comes to productivity so it’s critical that we address this challenge head on if we are to retain our status as a leading global economy post Brexit. Harnessing the full potential of the people that are already in work – and are yearning to learn – would be a significant step in the right direction.”

As a result of the findings in the report, City & Guilds Group is calling for government and policy makers, employers and individuals to take action - with employers investing in skills development for people of all ages and at all levels of their career - and to get better at recognising and utilising people’s skills. Employees should also be looking for more opportunities to gain skills outside the workplace and put themselves forward for training at work. Government and policy makers are urged to review adult education and create a system that encourages lifelong learning, retraining and re-skilling, in addition to providing better careers guidance and advice to people at all stages of their career.

Andy Durman - Managing Director Emsi UK - stated:

“This report emphasises two crucial factors to enable us to tap into the nation’s skills potential and make progress on closing the skills gap and boosting productivity. Firstly, because there are big differences in labour markets across the country, solutions must be locally relevant and based on a good understanding of employment needs at the local level. Secondly, because people are changing careers more rapidly than ever, and careers themselves are changing due to factors such as automation, we need to see education providers, economic developers and employers all coming together to promote the concept of lifelong learning, where people can add to their core skills throughout their working lives.”

Anthony Impey MBE - Serial entrepreneur & Chair of the Skills Policy Unit, Federation of Small Businesses - stated:

“As this research highlights, in society many people’s skills are under-utilised. There are no quick fixes but there are things that employers can do such as looking in new places to find talent, as seemingly different jobs require many of the same skills, as well as embedding flexible working practices and make training available to people at all ages and stages of their careers.”