Since coming to power in May 1997 (UK9704125F [1]), the Labour government has placed a strong emphasis upon skills policies. The government sees "upskilling" not only as an answer to problems of economic competitiveness and the UK's generally poor record on productivity (UK9902182F [2]), but also as
The /Working to learn/ report, published by the Institute of Personnel and Development, was launched in August 1997 against a background of widespread concern about current work-based training provision. These worries centre on three issues:
From 1979, the economic policy of successive Conservative Governments was based on a fundamental belief in the effectiveness of free markets. In the case of the labour market, there was an emphasis on deregulation and the importance of flexibility in creating employment and economic growth. The