Received from: Community
Congress notes that skilled employment is vital to our economy and is more likely to provide well-paid and decent work. However, Congress remains concerned that government expenditure on education and training remains severely squeezed. Congress further notes that British employers are spending 50 per cent less on training per employee than the EU average.
Congress recognises that with the changing world of work, some jobs are being automated and that the people working in those jobs may need to reskill to find new work. Congress acknowledges trade unions have a responsibility to be at the forefront of campaigning for and securing better skills provision. Congress celebrates the difference that the union learning agenda has made to millions of working people.
Therefore, Congress calls on the TUC to:
i. lobby the government for better skills provision, including, but not limited to, free college courses for people who have left employment
ii. call on employers to recognise the importance of and to provide transferable skills, reskilling opportunities and well-paid apprenticeships
iii. continue working to understand the impact of technological change on workers and how this affects the skills agenda
iv. support unions to continue to open up opportunities for union members to access skills-based learning and the opportunity to retrain
iii. work with unions and employer organisations to develop effective skills audits, with workers at the centre.
Community