News in Brief

Ambition 2020 Report welcomed by e-skills UK

e-skills UK today welcomes the publication of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ Ambition 2020 report.

The report finds that the UK has continued to make progress in the last year in raising the skills levels of its workforce, building on the positive trend observed over the last decade, but also acknowledges the many challenges that must be overcome if we are to achieve our ambition for 2020. It argues that this is only possible if government, employers and individuals take collective responsibility for realising this goal and work together to attain it.

The report predicts that, although slower than in the past, there will be future growth in employment, with an expected 2 million new jobs between now and 2020. Most of these will demand higher skills than previously required, with the most significant future growth in the job market predicted to be in IT services.

These findings reinforce e-skills UK’s own research which forecasts that over half a million new IT & Telecoms professionals will be needed over the next five years to meet changing demand. The research has also shown that the number of IT & Telecoms professionals has continued to grow despite the recent recession and is expected to grow at around four times the average UK rate over the next ten years.

e-skills UK supports the Commission’s ongoing commitment to achieving the skills and employment targets set out in Ambition 2020, and welcomes the report’s emphasis on the importance of higher level and STEM skills in ensuring future productivity and growth in the UK economy. It acknowledges the importance of developing a strong strategic approach to ensuring the UK has the skills needed to compete in the global economy and support the economic recovery.

Welcoming the publication of Ambition 2020, Karen Price, Chief Executive of e-skills UK, said:
“The IT & Telecoms sector provides the engine for productivity and future growth across the whole of the UK economy. Technology skills drive innovation, productivity and employment growth in every sector, underpinning the majority of future job creation in the western world, and so we’re pleased the findings of the report reflect this.

”We fully support the aims set out in Ambition 2020, and in our capacity as a Sector Skills Council, we look forward to working with government, employers and educators to play a key role in realising this goal.”

Posted on 28 Jul 2010