“For many years the UK has given priority to expanding higher education rather than complementing that expansion with developing further education, strengthening adult education, and creating a high-quality vocational training system”.

This is one of the conclusions from a new analysis which highlights the failings in the skills system and offers thoughts and recommendations on how UK performance can be improved.

The report from the CIPD, the professional body for HR, gives support to developing a range of high-quality vocational routes to employment.  

Making the UK's skills system world class looks at how people can acquire and develop skills throughout their working lives, and not just in the earlier years.

The recommendations are grouped around six themes:

1. Strength and stability in the system
2. Improving basic/core skills
3. Increasing the quality of vocational pathways
4. Building capacity at a local and workplace level
5. Promoting learning across the life course
6. Access to quality information, advice and guidance.