Britain produces too much of relatively low value compared with many of its western counterparts. This is despite the country being a world leader in many industries. It is the country’s perennial productivity problem.

Improving skills supply is seen as one of the principal means by which the country’s productivity levels will be raised. But what does improving skills supply mean? Sometimes it seems to refer to matching – if only it were possible to ensure that skills supply better matched the jobs available matters would improve. And sometimes it refers to raising the level of skills, even if there is a degree of uncertainty about how much demand there is for any additional higher skills. If Britain, or more precisely England, is to increase its productivity through the improved supply of skills - however that might be defined - it might well need a bold, new skills strategy to do so. Does the latest Skills for Jobs White Paper fit the bill?

Solving England’s skills and productivity problem is a big ask. It is a decades old problem. In some respects the new plans reinforce policies introduced in the past, especially those of increasing employer involvement in the design of vocational education and training. The pressing question is whether the Skills for Jobs strategy will go far enough to create a high quality vocational training system. Ultimately it all seems to depend upon funding. It needs to be remembered that public funding of further education has been subject to substantial cutbacks over the last decade or so. One can increase employer involvement in qualification and curriculum design and provide individuals with guaranteed access to lifelong learning and these might well bring about beneficial outcomes. But unless these are backed up by investments – potentially major ones - in the vocational education system, the types of initiative contained in Skills for Jobs may well struggle to bear sufficient fruit. And this would be a pity because vocational education is important to determining the life chances of so many individuals, and ultimately the overall health of the economy.