Examination of Witnesses (Questions 80-84)
LORD LEITCH
AND LOUISE
TILBURY
28 APRIL 2008
Q80 Mr Willis: But the 6 million
at level 3 is the big target group, is it not, that you really
have to do something about?
Lord Leitch: Yes.
Q81 Mr Willis: Why would I, as a
business man—and I am not a businessman, I am just a humble
politician but if I were—want to invest money in an employee
who did not affect my bottom line and who is likely to move off
when they have those skills? That is the flaw that I see.
Lord Leitch: No, I do not think
it is a flaw. I think employers will not do that if it is not
going to impact their business but we think, by and large, giving
people more skills on the job will improve their performance on
the job, and that is the change we have to make. I think you are
right, if employers think there is no value to me in training,
they will not train, and what we want to get over is a message
to more employers that there is value to them as an employer.
Q82 Mr Willis: But as an individual
I want to move, I do not like his business; I do not like working
for him any more. I want to move on.
Lord Leitch: If there is no value
to the employers and you are going to move on, you cannot expect
employers to invest.
Q83 Mr Willis: Who is going to invest
in my skills, then?
Lord Leitch: The majority of people
we are talking about are employees who will improve their performance
through more skills, and we know that.
Q84 Mr Marsden: At that point we
will have to leave it for this afternoon, but can I thank you
both for coming to answer our questions this afternoon, particularly,
as you say, as things have become a little rustier in the passage
of time, but we are going to add to your afterlife and also the
documentation by launching our own inquiry which will open on
May 14 with one whole-day session in Leeds, so we hope that will
be the start of further discussion. Thank you.
Lord Leitch: Can I say thank you
and, finally, the more I immersed myself in this topic on skills
the more passionate I became about its importance to the nation
and the economic performance and prosperity of the nation, but
the real prize is deeper and richer than just economic prosperity.
It is about pride, fairness, quality of life, and an opportunity
for everyone in this country, and it is the best investment this
nation could ever make. Next to national defence it is probably
the most important task and priority for this nation, because
by driving economic prosperity we can then have the sort of social
and welfare and health systems we need, and creating that wealth
and skills is such a critical driver to allow us to do that. Thank
you for your time, and I am very relieved you are doing this study.
Mr Marsden: Thank you.
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