The UK must invest more in training to reach top, warns City & Guilds
Chief Executive Chris Jones responds to World Economic Forum report
03 September 2014
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The World Economic Forum released its Global Competitiveness Report rankings today.
Commenting on the UK's improvement, Chris Jones, Chief Executive of the City & Guilds Group, said:
'It’s fantastic to see that this country is starting to climb back up the international rankings, but we still have a long way to go. We won’t reach the top spot until we invest in both the workforce of today, and the workforce of tomorrow. That’s the secret of the countries that are ranked better than us. UK employees, as well as the rising generation, deserve the investment.
‘For too long UK policymakers had their eye off the ball, and failed to prioritise skills education and training in the way that they do academic education. Thankfully, at last there are signs of this changing. Likewise as the economy grows, businesses are increasing the amount they spend on up-skilling their employees.
‘But we can’t afford to be complacent. We need to maintain this momentum and make skills training an ongoing priority so Britain can prove it can still compete in the global economy.'