Press Release

Leitch Review finally roars, but bares few teeth

6 December 2006 – Reacting to Lord Leitch’s final report on skills, Mary Chapman, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, states that the Review has failed to focus on the vital management skills that would drive employer investment on training and development.

She comments: “The Chartered Management Institute welcomes the Leitch recommendations for a much greater focus on higher-level "economically valuable skills", but is disappointed that the Review has failed to recognise the critical value of management and leadership skills.  It appears that the ‘lion has roared, but bares few teeth’.  To restore national pride in creating world class skills, UK employers will need to address critical leadership skills across all sectors, rather than a gradual increase in demand-led investment and a further reorganisation of the skills agencies.”

The Institute argues that increasing investment in training the workforce, whether by Government or employers, will not be enough to solve the UK’s skills shortages. 

Chapman claims: “The Leitch Review’s new targets go some way towards meeting the Institute's call for 50 per cent of managers to be qualified to level 4 or higher by 2020.”

The Institute had also called for funding for individual adult learners to help stimulate a demand-led skills system, and strongly endorses the focus on Learner Accounts and looks forward to further detail on the practical delivery of these Accounts.

Mary Chapman concludes: “Despite a move in the right direction, unless Government prioritises management skills for current and future leaders, there is a real danger that we will not be making the right management decisions needed to build the UK's international competitiveness.  It is, after all, the skills and abilities of those individuals who are leading organisations that determine how people are employed and whether resources are invested effectively.”