Labour MPs' On The Skills Gap
Labour backbenchers do not believe that employers are best placed to identify the education and skills the UK needs, according to a major survey published today.
The study among 98 MPs, which was commissioned by Skills for Business, also shows that nearly half of the Labour MPs interviewed believe that the education system is still failing to equip young people with the skills they need for work.
Specific findings from the MORI report show:
- less than one in five Labour MPs feel employers are most suitably placed for judging the UK's skills and education needs
- seven in 10 believe an absence of skills is constraining the UK from producing more complex or better services
- half of Labour MPs agree that the education system does not supply enough people who are equipped with the skills they need when they first enter the workplace
- two in five believe "the gap between the skills we have and the skills we need is growing"
Professor Mike Campbell, director of research at Skills for Business and one of the country's leading labour market experts discussed the issues of education and skills in the UK with Phil Hope MP, Minister for Skills, at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton on Tuesday 27 September.
Q To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? Base: Labour MPs (53)
| 160 | Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | No opinion | Agree | Disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| The gap between the skills we need and the skills we have among our workforce is growing | 2 | 38 | 24 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 37 |
| The limited skills available in their current workforce are constraining UK employers from producing more complex products or better services | 14 | 57 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 71 | 10 |
| Employers are best placed to judge the education and skills needs of the UK | 0 | 17 | 45 | 29 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 39 |
| The education system does not supply enough people who are equipped with the skills they need as they first enter the workplace | 3 | 44 | 28 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 23 |
Technical details
This presents the topline findings of the Summer 2005 Study of Britain's Members of Parliament, part of MORI's programme of regular multi-sponsored studies among key audiences. Fieldwork dates: 7 June - 1 August 2005. Sample: 98 MPs representative of the House by party and bench (53 Labour, 29 Conservative and 13 Liberal Democrat MPs).
