There will be no jobs for unskilled workers in Britain within 10 years, the CBI has said.
The prediction is based on the growth in "outsourcing" manufacturing and sales jobs abroad to economies where staff are hired at a fraction of the cost.
Stakeholder Response: Institute of Directors
A spokesman for the Institute of Directors said: "Western Europe has always recognised that low-skilled, labour-intense jobs would progressively move elsewhere. The UK's future has to lie in high value-added products and services, competing on innovation, design, flair, quality and speed to market.
"This needs many things: the right economic environment, a highly skilled and flexible workforce, an education system which equips people for the real needs and opportunities in life, a regulatory environment which protects the individual but doesn't stifle enterprise; investment at all levels from start-up to FTSE giant, which isn't primarily the short-term focus; and much more of an enterprise culture within our businesses and within society."
Stakeholder Response: Association of Accounting Technicians
Karen Geddes, AAT director of marketing, said: "The Association of Accounting Technicians believes that the lack of co-ordination in the funding of skills-based training is preventing individuals and organisations from accessing at all levels the vocational training they need. As Digby Jones states: 'Ensuring people have the skills remains our problem.'
"The government urgently needs to address the image of vocational training to make it more appealing to school leavers who are looking to develop their skills and thereby improve their employability. At present we have a workforce where 40 per cent of graduates are doing non-graduate roles whilst employers are not able to find people with the skills they need so are looking to recruit from overseas.
"While globalisation may be indeed 'be in our DNA', without properly funded skills-based training Britain's role in the global market will be very limited if we don’t address the problems now."
Stakeholder Response: CITB - Construction Skills
A spokesman for the CITB said: "The construction industry is already a significant way down the road towards its goal of a fully qualified workforce by 2010 - a far cry from the traditional perception of an industry which requires no skills or training.
"New entrants to the industry work towards an N/SVQ (National/Scottish Vocational Qualifications) as part of their apprenticeship, and existing workers are getting qualified through the On-Site Assessment and Training process.
"Those who have achieved at least a level 2 N/SVQand passed the required Health and Safety test can then qualify for a CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) card which is already becoming compulsory to access a large number of sites."
