skills
New report by Kingston University highlights importance of skills for innovation in driving a thriving national economy Calls for the establishment of a Future Skills Council bringing together industry, universities and policymakers to tackle the nation’s skills shortages and help the UK’s economy prosper have been made within a major report published by Kingston University. The 2022 Future Skills report – the second phase of a campaign spearheaded by the University to address the workforce skills challenge – surveyed 2,000 businesses and 1,000 students on the skills most important to future careers and the economy. It found attracting and retaining talent in the global marketplace was the greatest threat to the nation’s economy, with Coca Cola, TikTok and Mastercard among leading firms sharing their views on what matters most in the graduates they recruit. The report was launched during a House of Commons event attended by Government Ministers, MPs, peers, business leaders and Kingston staff and students. It proposes a roadmap for delivery, bringing together government, industry and education providers to create a new Future Skills Council, modelled on the Creative Industries Council. Co-chaired by Business and Education Ministers, it would focus on solving the workforce skills challenge, meeting future needs as well as supporting the Levelling Up agenda.
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What businesses said they needed in terms of graduate skills could not have been more emphatic, ViceChancellor Professor Steven Spier said. “The findings show just how quickly the world of work is changing, where future skills will be essential to the nation’s prosperity. There is a growing imperative to broaden higher education to ensure graduates keep learning and adapting to meet changing demands. What we’re doing in embedding future skills across our courses is proof higher education can pivot in this way and deliver what the economy needs.” The study, commissioned by Kingston University in partnership with YouGov, follows on from a similar survey carried out last year. Building on those findings, the 2022 results show the ability
BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community
Students with Skills Minister Alex Burghart at the House
