National Skills Street Initiative To Promote Skills - June 2008
Dated: 12/06/2008

This week sees the launch of ?Skills Street?, a campaign taking place in Skipton near Leeds, which aims to highlight the ever-increasing importance and benefits of improving your skills,

This week sees the launch of ?Skills Street?, a campaign taking place in Skipton near Leeds, which aims to highlight the ever-increasing importance and benefits of improving your skills, by taking a typical street and measuring residents? skills levels and offering advice. An expert panel, including television presenter Carol Smillie, will be visiting a number of homes on the street to assess the skills residents have and those which they feel that they lack. The panel will offer advice, highlighting the skills residents may benefit from, and suggesting local training providers ? demonstrating how accessible modern learning can be.
One of the main aims of Skills Street is to show people that learning a new skill and gaining a qualification is not as difficult as it may first appear, and to showcase the variety of learning and funding options available: including college courses, Apprenticeships and the Adult Learning Grant. The campaign also aims to highlight the financial benefits of learning a new skill ? for example by investing money and time in learning; you could grow your annual salary by ?2,000 - ?3,000.
The LSC aims to ease concerns that learning a new skill is costly and time consuming. Caroline O?Neill, Partnership Director for the LSC, says: ?Today?s findings show that we have more to do to help people recognise the benefits of skills and qualifications, and to break down the barriers preventing people from learning new skills. Two out of three jobs in the future will require a higher level of skills and better qualifications. Indeed, in less than ten years, there will be very few unskilled jobs. Skills Street aims to kick-start the process and encourage people to fulfil their potential.

National Skills Street Initiative To Promote Skills - June 2008