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New think-tank meets to drive forward UK business effectiveness

Sixteen of Europe's leading experts on skills and productivity are meeting today to drive forward the effectiveness of UK plc.

Leading lights from the worlds of academia, research, commerce and human resources have been invited to sit on a new ‘expert panel' to advise the new Skills for Business network on how to boost productivity and make sure the workforce is up to scratch.

Using their knowledge, existing data, and new research the panel will advise on the national policy of Skills for Business and the new network of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). Each of these SSCs are being put in place to help UK employers develop the skilled workforces they need to compete more effectively on a local, national and international scale.

Skills for Business has been tasked by the government with informing and influencing policy on training and skills development relating to productivity. It also works closely with the delivery side of learning, through the Learning and Skills Council and other agencies.

The remit of the panel will be to:

• Advise where UK employers need most support and help to ensure employee skills levels are high, and productivity is increased
• Identify where existing and future skills issues may arise so that they can be addressed early
• Analyse new and existing data to understand skills issues
• Advise where new research needs to be done to increase knowledge.

The 16 experts have been chosen on the basis of their national and international reputations, as well as their wealth of experience in commercial and academic fields. They include:

• David Ashton, founder of the Centre for Labour Market Studies at the University of Leicester, and currently an emeritus professor at the same institution
• Derek Bosworth, professional fellow at Melbourne University and Emeritus Professor at UMIST
• Professor John Burgoyne, Professor of Management Learning at the University of Lancaster
• Dr Lorraine Dearden, Director of the Centre for Early Years and Educational Research at the Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Dr Andy Dickerson, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment research at the University of Warwick
• Jim Hillage, an associate director for the Institute for Employment Studies
• Ewart Keep, a fellow of Warwick Business School
• John Philpott, chief economist of the CIPD
• Professor Andy Neely, deputy director of the Advanced Institute for Management Research
• Hilary Steedman, senior research fellow at the London School of Economics.

Professor Mike Campbell, Director of Strategy and Research at Skills for Business, will chair the panel. He said: "Bringing together some of foremost thought leaders in the field of skills, training and productivity is going to be an extremely powerful tool for UK businesses.

"In this environment we'll be able to air and discuss some of the most pressing skills issues for businesses today. As well as looking at what opportunities and challenges we'll face in the future, we'll also look at current problems so that we can advise and help develop the correct path towards being able to harness the best value from a highly skilled workforce."

Recommendations from the panel will be fed through to relevant stakeholders to inform their policies on how to best help businesses develop training programmes which will improve the quality and effectiveness of their workforces.

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