Government suppliers forced to provide IT training

12:30 22nd May 2009

Companies supplying IT services to the government will have to provide computer training to their staff as a condition of their contracts.

Almost £14 billion is spent on IT services every year by the government and skills secretary John Denham wants to make sure that the companies securing government contracts are doing their bit to provide relevant training opportunities.

Mr Denham announced the policy during a summit at the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, where he held discussions on ways to encourage further training schemes.

Mr Denham said: "Wherever possible government spending should not just provide good public services - it should also ensure young people are trained in the skills we need for the future."

He added companies that do not train their staff are nearly three times more likely to fail as a result of the tougher economic times posed by the current recession.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, recently announced that £23 million will be spent training unemployed Londoners.