The Automotive Academy has welcomed today's government White Paper on skills, in which it was praised as 'a good example of a sector acting to meet its own training needs'. But the Academy has warned that appropriate and flexible funding arrangements must be put in place to back the proposals up.

The White Paper announced the creation of sector specific skills academies for young people, supporting the work that organisations, such as the Automotive Academy, are already doing for the current workforce.

Today's White Paper sets out:

  • plans to improve adult skills in England with free vocational training for adults to acquire higher technical skills
  • plans for a network of skills academies for 14-16-year-olds, in different sectors, in partnership with employers. This will ensure they do not enter work without basic standards of education or training.
  • a new National Employer Training Programme (NETP) to give free training in the workplace in basic, and level two, skills
  • the introduction of a new one-stop telephone and on-line advice service for adults wanting help making careers and training decisions

    Dr Alan Begg, Automotive Academy chief executive, said: "We are delighted to be recognised as a leading example in skills development. We have a responsibility to make sure we have the right people with the right skills at the right time, and these new programmes will help this to happen.

    "However, if we are to meet the flexible training needs of our sector, we must have flexible funding arrangements in place to match."

    The DfES white paper, 'Skills: Getting on in business, getting on at work' can be accessed at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/skillsgettingon