Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1992, published 79th ILC session (1992)

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142) - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Ratification: 1977)

1. The Committee has taken note of the Government's detailed report, which contains information in reply to its previous observation and transmits comments by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) dated 28 June 1990 on the application of the Convention.

2. The Committee notes the publication in May 1991 of the White Paper entitled Education and Training for the 21st Century, which sets out the Government's plans to develop the education and training system for 16 to 19-year-olds. The Government aims to extend and improve opportunities for young people to equip themselves with the skills employers need, to ensure that high-quality further education becomes the norm for all those who can benefit from it and thus to increase the proportion of young people reaching higher levels of skills. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report detailed information on the progress of its plans in this respect and the results achieved in the pursuit of its set aims.

3. In reply to the Committee's previous comments, the Government confirms its position that the development of training cannot be for Government alone but must be a partnership which will provide opportunity for businesses and individuals to ensure that training meets requirements in scale and quality. To that end, the Employment Department has set up a structure comprising, at the national level, a National Training Task Force (NTTF) under the Secretary of State for Employment; at the sectoral level, Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) to assess for each branch of industry current and future training requirements; and at the local level, a network of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). The Employment Service, for its part, continues to play an important role in vocational guidance and training by offering, in close cooperation with the TECs, training opportunities for the unemployed. Extensive vocational guidance is also provided both for the unemployed and for people who have jobs by the Employment Service and the Careers Service.

4. The TUC states that it is still concerned at the persistent failure to apply the Convention correctly. It considers that, since it submitted its comments in January 1989 on the abandonment of government responsibilities for training, the Government's record on these matters has not improved. The cut in resources allotted to the Youth Training (YT) programme have undermined the efforts of many, particularly in the voluntary sector, to attain its targets. Furthermore, according to the TUC, the Government has stated that it was not prepared to adopt targets for the achievement of qualifications by workers; and it is lagging behind competing countries in the provision of funds for adult training. The TUC expresses particular concern at the Government's failure to apply the provisions of the Convention relating to the cooperation of employers' and workers' organisations in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training, in particular in the case of the restructuring of the Youth Training programme. In connection with the abolition of the Training Commission, which was a tripartite body, the TUC notes that the few trade unionists participating in the work of the NTTF and the TECs have been appointed in their individual capacity and are not explicitly treated as representatives of the workers.

5. Referring to its previous comments, the Committee observes that the TUC's new allegations are of such a nature as to warrant some concern about the Government's responsibility and level of commitment to the fundamental obligations of the Convention. That applies in particular to the effect given to the provisions of Article 5 of the Convention, which provides for the cooperation of employers' and workers' organisations in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes. It notes the general assurances given in that connection by the Government and asks it once again to supply in its next report a detailed description of the practical arrangements for the cooperation with employers' and workers' organisations required by Article 5. More generally, the Committee trusts that the Government will supply additional information, in particular that requested in Part VI of the report form, calculated to demonstrate that the policy implemented conforms to the obligation to extend gradually systems of vocational guidance and vocational training (Articles 3 and 4).