Higher Level Skills

Higher Level Skills are skills associated with Higher Education. The North East’s aspirations to higher level skills are set out in Leading the Way, the Regional Economic Strategy 2006 - 16 available at http://www.onenortheast.co.uk/page/res.cfm  

The Regional Economic Strategy Action Plan has set a target of 50% (as against the 40% identified in the Leitch Report) of the workforce attaining at least level 4 qualifications.  

The development of higher level skills in the North East of England will be a significant benefit to the region and is integral to enabling the economic growth for the region as outlined in the Regional Economic Strategy and RES Action Plan. Increasing the level of higher level skills in the region will improve the North East region’s competitiveness and productivity by addressing skills shortages in key areas and improving the capacity of NE businesses to be creative and innovative. Driving up the availability of high level skills, particularly in strategically important sectors (see RES Action Plan) has become an imperative for the region.  

A key strategic aim for the region is to support employers and providers (universities, colleges and private providers) to work together to facilitate demand led provision in higher level skills and ensure that employers are at the heart of the higher level skills agenda. Related to this is the need to ensure that providers are supported in creating the capacity and capability to deliver the higher level skills needs and requirements of employers.  

The strategic work of ONE NE and partners seeks to build on existing structures to create a framework that will provide for the delivery of the higher level skills agenda, strengthening the demand-led approach to meeting the region’s higher level skills needs. A summary of higher level skills and education in North East England is provided in the Regional Context Statement.

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) produced the Higher Education at Work, High Skills: High Value - available at:
http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations/documents/Higher_Education_at_Work.pdf. 
This document was put out for consultation in April 2008 and illustrates the government's commitment to the higher skills agenda.

The North East has piloted the delivery of the higher level skills agenda through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Higher Level Skills Pathfinder project, available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/employer/path/ - this project illustrates the opportunities and challenges in supporting a fundamental change from supply led to demand led provision.  

The Higher Level Skills Forum is a group comprising the various stakeholders in Higher Level Skills in the region and is convened by HEFCE. The aim of the group is to ensure that the various stakeholders in Higher Level Skills in the North East are working together towards a common vision – an increase in the higher level skills of the region that fits with the priorities identified by Skills North East. The group seeks to integrate LSC funded Train to Gain, Business Link North East, the North East Higher Skills Network and other initiatives and opportunities.   

Contributors to Higher Level Skills Provision in the Region  

The following table illustrates the breadth of RDA/ LSC/ HEFCE investment in higher level skills in the North East