Press Release

Parliamentary Inquiry to seek out business solutions to looming UK talent crisis

21 May 2008

A panel of peers and MPs from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Corporate Responsibility will today commence a six month long investigation into how businesses are developing the UK’s talent. Crucially it will explore what more must be done to avert the looming skills crisis and its impact on UK global competitiveness. Inquiry witnesses at the first session will be: Tim Davie and Yogesh Chauhan of the BBC; Dame Mary Richardson; Lucy Parker, Chair of the Talent and Enterprise Taskforce; and Emily Lawson, Partner at McKinsey & Co.

Baroness Greengross, Chair of the Talent Challenge Inquiry, said:
"Talent is not the same as skills. Talent is about individuals and the inherent quality in people to be good at something. We want to discover what business is doing to nurture talent and how more can be achieved by companies across the UK.

"The Leitch Review clearly illustrated that global competition and an international labour market pose a huge challenge to Britain, where people are the principal remaining resource – we’re just not developing our talent-base fast enough.”

Inquiry panel member, Martin Horwood MP, added:
"In an increasingly competitive world, the talent challenge is one of the most crucial issues we face as a country.

"Over the next six months we will endeavour to the identify the barriers that are preventing companies from doing more to help address the talent gap, as well as what incentives or policy changes would help them better nurture talent."