In light of the current debate about poor literacy and numeracy skills in the UK, I want to highlight the significant impact that Skills for Life training in the workplace is having on business efficiency and wider society.
Skills for Life is about improving productivity, and equipping employees with the skills with which to do their jobs, as well as supporting them in becoming active and enterprising members of their community.
While we recognise that more needs to be done, over the past two years this programme has led to significant improvements in the literacy and numeracy skills of the workforce.
During this time, supporting the Department for Education and Skills, Business in the Community has engaged and supported 90 large employers, including Serco Group, Royal Mail and Walkers, improving the essential skills of thousands of adults in the workplace.
For companies, Skills for Life is not only an opportunity to take action on poor basic skills to improve business profitability, but is also a way to transform people’s lives.
The success of the programme is clearly evident with Serco Group’s award-winning scheme, which has engaged more than 700 employees. In fact, the company’s head of people development said the programme had transformed the lives of its employees while bringing tangible benefits for the business.
Business in the Community will continue to champion the Skills for Life campaign as an integral component of responsible business practice.
Graham Bann
Executive director
Business in the Community
