Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 86
86
Acknowledged
Some contributors to our inquiry argued that addressing skills challenges was made more difficult by...
Conclusion
Some contributors to our inquiry argued that addressing skills challenges was made more difficult by a lack of data on the skills composition of the UK workforce. Professor Keith Hartley told us that while the UK has “decent data on both direct and indirect employment in the UK’s defence industries…when we come to ask questions about the skills, we do not have much published information on the skills composition.”142 He argued that more research was needed to understand what skills were needed in shipbuilding, and therefore what training courses were required.143 Professor John Louth agreed that the UK’s capability gaps were something that “can be identified and known but we generally fail to measure, meaning that private sector workforce competencies, for 136 Professor John Louth (DIS0028) 137 Professor John Louth (DIS0028) 138 City of Glasgow College (DIS0035) 139 Q144 140 City of Glasgow College (DIS0035) 141 Q99 142 Q142 143 Q142 32 Defence in Scotland: military shipbuilding government, remain a strategic vulnerability.”144 One of the tasks of the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce (the work of which we explore in further detail in the next section) is to develop the UK Government’s understanding of shipbuilding skills.145
Government Response Summary
The government states that the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce (UKSST) is collaborating to develop and implement a skills strategy and will publish a report of recommended actions in autumn 2023.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
29 & 30: The UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce (UKSST) seeks to address this challenge by collaborating across Government, the Devolved Administrations, industry and training providers to develop and implement a future-focussed skills strategy. The UKSST includes representatives from both Skills Development Scotland and Scottish industry. The UKSST is overseen by the Department for Education (DfE), with close support from the NSO. The UKSST will work to build a picture of industry’s skills needs and provide solutions to skills shortages, particularly those relating to new and emerging technologies. It intends to publish a report of recommended actions in autumn 2023 in pursuit of the policy goals outlined in the NSbS Refresh, principally to reduce skills shortfalls and to increase reported improvements in the quality and availability of skills.