‘For people to consider improving their skills, they need to be aware of and motivated by the benefits of doing so. They must see a link between skills development and achieving their own personal ambitions’ (Leitch Review of Skills Final Report, 2006).
There is no doubt at all that learning has a great impact on personal development and socio-economic success. A well embedded learning and development strategy will certainly increase personal capability and release high performance. Evidence shows that ‘learning and its benefits are dynamic in the sense that benefits gained in one domain such as education impact on functioning in other domains, such as family and community’ (Tett, Hall et al. 2006).
Learning can promote the development of capabilities, personal resources and skills – and belief in one’s ability to deal with adverse situations. It also helps us to make informed decisions about behaviours that may affect our future health and happiness.
A highly skilled workforce is essential to the country’s economic growth to enable it to meet the demands of the consumer. The benefits for the individual will mean higher incomes and raised aspirations, for employers it will increase productivity allowing them to be more competitive.
In 2004, Lord Sandy Leitch was commissioned by the government to conduct an independent review on the long-term skills that the United Kingdom would need to achieve maximum growth, productivity and social justice by 2020.
The review identified that the UK was well behind in the market of skills compared to USA, Canada and South Korea. This is mainly due to the fact that in the past opportunities to gain skills have been available only to those who can afford to progress educationally and that ordinary people have not been given the opportunities to reach their full