The final report of the Government-commissioned Leitch Review of skills was published on 5th December 2006.  WorkSkills from Edexcel has been developed in direct response to the recommendations laid out in the Leitch Review to tackle the widening skills gap in the UK’s workforce.

The Leitch Review states that:

• The UK will have a skills shortage of 2.2 million by 2020, unless the skills challenge is met
• The size of the NEET group is widening - the number of inactive 16 and 17 year olds has increased three fold since 1998
• The number of adults without any qualifications is 5m; half of these are in employment
• The number of 16-24 year olds unemployed or inactive and not in full time education is 1.2m
• 66% of Jobseeker’s allowance claims are repeat claimants
• The UK productivity gap, with competitors such as France (12%) and Germany (20%), is still widening

Key headlines taken from the Leitch Review: Prosperity for all in the global economy – world class skills, December 2006