Skills development and inward investment

This session of the UK Trade and Business Commission examine issues with skills shortages in its first half, while taking a broader look at FDI in the UK in the second half. 

Worker shortages and skills shortages sit side by side. While importing labour cannot be seen as the full solution to workforce shortages, it may be the only solution several industries can adopt in order to immediately alleviate labour pressures they are feeling. Similarly, with regards to skills shortages, training alone cannot be the answer without proper solutions in place for forecasting worker shortages in the immediate and longer-term future. 

Skills shortages are also part of the questions surrounding the UK as a destination for inward investment or FDI. A huge risk to FDI into the UK is an inadequate skills infrastructure. Without being assured of staffing and skills capacity, companies will be reluctant to open new branches in the UK. 

This session explored these issues in more detail to establish exactly what is needed from the UK Government in order to strengthen the UK’s skills potential and its ability to attract investment.

Witnesses

PANEL 1:

PROFESSOR TERENCE HOGARTH, Institute for Employment Research

BECCI NEWTON, Director, Public Policy Research, Institute for Employment Research

ALEXANDRA HALL-CHEN, Principal Policy Advisor for Sustainability, Skills and Employment, Institute of Directors

PANEL 2:

NIGEL DRIFFIELD, Professor of International Business, Warwick University Business School

JENNY TOOTH, Chief Executive, UK Business Angels Association

RUPERT GATHER, Group Executive Chairman, InvestUK