A long journey to a cul-de-sac: a reflection on UK skills policy

摘要

Skills and training policy will be a significant issue at the next UK general election in 2015 and youth unemployment is likely to be especially prominent. However, there has been a consistent failure to address the underlying problem and to consider its causes. Instead an increase in the number of apprenticeships, now increasingly loosely defined, has been seized upon as a solution by all sides in the debate. As a result another policy failure is likely. The article concludes with an alternative proposal, based on a change in the Companies Act.