Give us the tools…

Britain’s economic recovery depends upon one factor above all others: the skill of its workforce. The remedy will not come from any government programme, but from the ingenuity and drive of the British people. As Reihan Salam argues on page 14, these were the qualities that built an empire. They steered us to recovery in the 1980s. They are what is needed now.

Yet, as employers readily attest, good people are disturbingly hard to find. Billions of pounds have been spent by successive governments to recifty this problem, but, as David Willetts and Pete Waterman observe on page 12, the results have been mixed. University education has been radically expanded, but too often via degrees which serve neither students nor society.

To mis-sell higher education to thousands of young people is not just a human scandal, but an economic one too. More and more young people are slipping out of work, out of training and off the labour map. As Peter Hoskin says on page 6, Britain has addressed its skills shortage by shipping in immigrant workers. So it is possible to paper over the skills problem in Britain. But it is not excusable.

In this supplement, kindly sponsored by BAE Systems, we look at what is to be done. Whether it is reforming education or welfare, this is a debate that involves some of the most fundamental questions facing the country today.

Editor Peter Hoskin Design Kuchar Swara Cover and illustrations Kyle T. Webster Cartoons Nick Downes and Hunter

Supplied free with the 5 February 2011 edition of The Spectator www.spectator.co.uk The Spectator (1828) Ltd, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP, Tel: 020 7961 0200, Fax: 020 7961 0250 For advertising queries, email: sarnold@ pressholdings.com

Skilled Britons are migrating abroad

A boom for whom?

‘There are plenty of jobs to go around’

Fraser Nelson

Peter Hoskin

Q&A with Mark Lovell

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6

7

Adult education isn’t working

Ross Clark

8

Encouraging talent

BAE Systems

9-11

The right lessons

David Willetts

12

‘Why can’t I get the workers I need?’

Pete Waterman

12

Forget Mandarin, learn Latin

Toby Young

13

Let’s get our hands dirty

Reihan Salam

14

Skills Barometer 15

in association with BAE systems | 5 February 2011 | britain’s skills crisis

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