Report warns of 2020 skills shortage

Urgent action is required if the UK is to meet its skills needs by the year 2020, it has been claimed.

According to a report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), the country is likely to suffer unless steps are taken to address the skills shortage.

Entitled Ambition 2020: Work Class Skills and Jobs for the UK, the study claims that out of 30 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member nations, the UK could rank 23rd in terms of low-level skills, 21st on intermediate skills and tenth on high-level skills.

Chris Humphries, UKCES Chief Executive, said that, although some significant improvements have been made over the last ten years, many of the UK's international competitors have improved faster.

He commented: 'The report recognises that we need to go faster still ... Our recommendation in this report is to define our performance on international terms rather than purely on UK terms.'

The UKCES aims to benefit employers, individuals and government by providing advice on employment and skills systems.