Skills minister Pat McFadden has revealed that the Labour Party is likely to start focusing greater attention on improving skills among the UK workforce.
At the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, he told Personnel Today it is important that the teaching of new skills and abilities is promoted in the country.
He revealed the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills is preparing a strategy document about this subject and that it will be released within a couple of months.
The minister said the focus will be on how to help people in the UK acquire new skills.
Mr McFadden said he would personally be calling for "greater empowerment of individuals in the skills system" about the choices they have for further education courses.
He asserted that this choice should be more like the range of options available to university students, although he would not go into detail about how this could be achieved.
As well as discussing the acquisition of new skills, Mr McFadden talked about NVQ training schemes.
He said that the qualifications are valuable because accrediting existing talents gives "portability of skills to people".
The minister noted that it would be important to strike a balance between ensuring that people can get accredited for their abilities and encouraging them to learn new skills.
Earlier this month, the economic development manager for the Learning Skills Council in North Yorkshire said jobseekers should consider acquiring new skills or developing existing abilities.
Martin Wynn told the Whitby Gazette that this should be one of the first steps taken by those looking for employment.
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