Bosses must leap the hurdles of staff learning - but how to do it? DAVID HARBOURNE, director of the Learning and Skills Council North Yorkshire, wants your views

THE Learning and Skills Council has just invited views on a workforce development strategy for the next few years. Copies of the draft can be downloaded from our web site, at HYPERLINK http://www.lsc.gov.uk www.lsc.gov.uk.

Sounds a bit dry, doesn't it? But the truth is, this is an important step for us. We have been looking at the ways employers help staff to develop skills and knowledge, and at the things that get in the way.

The biggest problem is time. It is extremely difficult to release staff for learning away from the workplace. Indeed, it is pretty difficult to find time even when the learning takes place at work!

Chancellor Gordon Brown is interested in experimenting with ways to break down some of the barriers. To help develop our strategy, he has released some funds for pilot projects in six parts of the country. I'm sorry to say that York and North Yorkshire missed out this time, but the results of the pilots will help us plan how to tackle the issues in our own area.

Each of the pilots looks at a different aspect of making it easier for small firms to support learning. In one case, courses for people with few or no qualifications will be offered entirely free of charge. In another, information, advice and guidance will be provided to employers and employees alike. And in a third case, employers will be paid compensation for the time staff spend away from work, to help cover staff wages and the extra that might have to be found to pay for temporary staff. This last one is likely to be the most expensive pilot. The various trial projects will give us valuable information about what works. From this, we - and the Government - will be able to make better judgements about what is practical, as well as what is affordable. We will also be able to sum-up the real bottom-line benefits of investing time and money in workforce development.

This is important if we are to boost skills and knowledge across all types of organisation, whether it is a small business, a large firm, a public sector organisation or a voluntary group. The real breakthrough will be made when employers and employees see the benefits of this sort of investment, and actually start to demand more from providers. In our workforce development strategy, our top priority is to make sure demand for learning and skills increases.

If we succeed, we will obviously have to make sure that people get the right learning, at times and in places that best meet their needs. For that reason, working with the supply side (colleges, training providers and so on) is our second priority. We will focus strongly on the quality and flexibility of learning.

I'd like to hear what local employers think about all this. Drop me an email at david.harbourne@lsc.gov.uk and I'll make sure your comments and ideas feed into the next stage of our plans for helping employers and staff get the right skills for success.

Updated: 09:31 Tuesday, May 21, 2002