Leitch Review - Findings and Recommendations

Findings and Recommendations

After an interim report, Skills in the UK: the long term challenge, published in December 2005, the final Leitch Report was published in December 2006 as Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills. It recommends that the UK should aim to be a world leader on skills by 2020, and suggested how that aim should be achieved.

The Report found that the UK currently ranked 12th out of 18 comparative members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The Report states that by 2020:

• 95% of adults should have achieved the basic skills of functional literacy and numeracy, an increase on 85% literacy and 79% numeracy in 2005;
• more than 90% of adults should be qualified to at least Level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs or their vocational equivalents), an increase from 69% in 2005, with a commitment to achieve 95% as soon as possible;
• the balance of intermediate skills should have shifted from Level 2 to Level 3 (equivalent to two or more A Levels), which means achieving 1.9 million additional Level 3 attainments and 500,000 apprenticeships;
• more than 40% of adults should be qualified to Level 4 and above (equivalent to degree-level qualifications), up from 29% in 2005.

The Leitch Report emphasises the necessity of shared responsibility: employers and individuals, as well as the government, should increase their investment in training and education. Employers and individuals should contribute most to training which gives them ‘private’ benefits, while government investment should focus on promoting basic skills for everyone.

A significant change recommended by Leitch is that the provision of vocational education and training should be demand-led, adaptable and responsive. Employers should therefore be directly involved in deciding what training priorities should be. Targeted individuals will also be empowered to purchase the type of training they need through the introduction of Skills Accounts.