By Tim Ferguson, 29 June 2007 12:07
NEWS
A new government department has been created to address the skills shortage currently causing concern for UK industry and business.
The Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) will be responsible for improving "high-end graduate skills" and raising the general skill level of the working population.
In a written statement to parliament the new prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the department changes would "sharpen the focus of central government".
silicon.com Public Sector
Get the latest public sector news straight to your inbox. Sign up for the PS newsletter today!
The statement said the new department will make the UK one of the best locations for science, research and innovation.
The DIUS will also be responsible for the development, funding and performance of higher and further education.
The DIUS takes this responsibility from the Department of Trade and Industry which has been renamed the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and will focus on improving conditions for businesss success in the UK.
The new department will mean the Department for Education and Skills and the DTI will be disbanded, the statement added.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. Karen Challinor
I'll bet it does nothing about ageism
or exact match for the job ism
or the we need to increase profits quickly so we'll offshore rather than improve productivity ism
my predictions are
1 - more unenforcable legislation like the anti ageism stuff, just a hint but taking the age box off the application form doesn't mean you've solved ageism
2 - universities urged to add business skills to their technical courses so graduates can hold a telephone conversation in an office or call centre
3 - the people at the bottom told to try harder and respond to the needs of business, quite how this is done without a job or any resources is left as an exercise for those at the bottom
4 - the people at the top patted on the back for doing such a good job with such limited resources
2. Roger Huffadine
But still very blurred - just 'cos you sharpen the focus of a picture doesn't mean that anything will improve. Far better to get 'in focus' - but then I'm sure the words were chosen Very carefully to read "sharpen" rather than "in".
3. Radical Meldrew
How long before the 'Department of I-pods and Unhelpful Spin' resort to issuing sound bytes in the media to prop up their failing reputation? The re-branding of a government department is an old and much used ploy, although I will admit, restructuring it to focus on new entrants only is a totally new (and somewhat unwholesome) approach.
Whatever happened to the concept of learning and enhancing career prospects whilst starting at the bottom? If this is Gordon’s ‘new new Labour’ demonstrating a modern approach, I’m packing my bags now because I’m obviously considered too old and set in my ways to make a valid contribution his idea of a glittery future!
4. Niall Shanahan
As someone who has worked in training for over 12 years I regularly despair at the complaints of a skills shortage. Too often organisations want to 'buy' the right skills at the lowest price, without really investing in the long term skills and knowledge of their own people. The training budget is always the softest target when cash gets tight and only now are we as a nation waking up to the fact of such poor neglect and lack of investment could have a real long term impact on our ability to compete in a global market. There should be bigger tax breaks and better incentives for those willing to really invest in their people.