Skills sets need rapid improvement in UK

13:16 11th May 2009

Skills sets require urgent improvement if the UK is to remain a competitive force in the global economy, according to a new study.

A report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) said that the UK is likely to slip significantly in the rankings of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) if major improvements in the skilled workforce are not instigated soon.

Programmes such as IT training and additional skills workshops could be among those to be improved over the course of the next few years.

Chris Humphries, chief executive officer of the UKCES, said: "Because every government in the developing world is now focusing on skills, as the leader in upping economic performance this means we have to match this."

There are 30 OECD nations, but the UK is in danger of slipping to tenth place on high-level skills if significant action does not take place.

A new report from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education has revealed that 39 per cent of adults are either on a learning course in 2009 or have been on one in the last three years.