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

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

The Committee refers to its comments under the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122).

Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1999, published 88th ILC session (2000)

The Committee notes the detailed information contained in the Government's report for the period ending May 1998. It would appreciate receiving more detailed information on the manner in which the cooperation of employers' and workers' organizations and, where applicable, other interested bodies is assured in the formulation and implementation of vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, as requested in the report form under Article 5 of the Convention.

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

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).

Observation (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

1. With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes the Government's detailed report for the period ending 30 June 1989 and the information provided in reply to the comments made by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in January 1989.

Article 1 of the Convention

2. In view of the recent developments in the Employment Service, the TUC expressed concerns that the Government was in the initial stages of dismantling its public employment service, in particular by reducing its functions and limiting its coverage in practice to the adults employed. For its part, the Government states that it is committed to the Employment Service (ES): the ES is to continue to offer a free service to people regardless of their employment status, and to play an important gateway role in directing people towards government training programmes. The Government felt that it was right to move the Professional and Executive Recruitment Agency (PER), formerly a part of the ES, into the private sector as, in the public sector, it had been providing services that were properly those of a fully commercial organisation. The Committee recalls that policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training should be "closely linked with employment, in particular through public employment services" (Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention). It trusts that in its future reports the Government will provide further indications on the manner in which the policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training are linked with employment and the public employment services. The Committee also refers in this connection to its outstanding comments on the application of the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122).

3. Secondly, the TUC expresses the view that a new training programme introduced by the Government to cover unemployed adults - the Employment Training Scheme - does not take account of national economic or social development needs in the payment systems allowed. The payment levels for unemployed people doing productive work under the former community programme were set in accordance with relevant local wages level, whereas the training allowance paid under Employment Training (ET) is based on the state benefits level which had previously applied only to training outside the workplace. The Government indicates that ET was launched in September 1988 with a view to bringing together into one unified scheme a variety of training and work experience programmes for unemployed adults. Participants are provided with a programme of structured training and its aim is not to provide temporary employment; therefore such concepts as "rate for the job" are no longer appropriate. The Government adds that the training allowance paid to people on ET is, in its view, more equitable than a wage based on local rates of pay. The Committee recalls that the Convention (Article 1, paragraph 2) requires the policies and programmes of vocational guidance and vocational training to take due account, inter alia, of "employment needs, opportunities and problems, both regional and national" (subparagraph (a)); and of "the stage and level of economic, social and cultural development" (subparagraph (b)). The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate in its next report in what manner account is taken of the above-mentioned factors in the Employment Training Scheme and other adult training schemes in the United Kingdom.

Article 3

4. The TUC is also of the view that the vocational guidance offered by the Government is seriously deficient; employees are not, in practice, offered vocational guidance and the Government has reduced the amount of resources devoted to employment information systems, such as those available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The Government supplies detailed general information in its report and in reply to the TUC allegations it points out that national information systems, such as NOMIS, hold a wealth of data on employment, unemployment, job vacancies, placings and population; at local level, the Computer Assisted Local Labour Market Information System (CALLMI) was used by over 75,000 employers during its first two-and-a-half years of operation; and with respect to the HSE, there has been a marked increase in information disseminated. The Committee trusts that the Government will give particulars of any further extension of the vocational guidance system during the period covered by the next report, with a view to ensuring that comprehensive information and the broadest possible guidance is available to all children, young persons and adults, as required by Article 3.

Article 4

5. The TUC takes the view that the Government has failed to give sufficient weight to the general requirement of ensuring that human resources development is coherent and comprehensive and meets the needs of the economy and society. More specifically, it is of the view that the training policies of the Government are guided by the need to provide for unemployed people rather than to secure an adequately trained workforce. The Government is said to pursue a voluntary approach which has led to severe skill shortages. The TUC refers to the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s" (Cm. 540, December 1988), in which the Government maintains that "Developing training through life is not primarily a government responsibility". (Emphasis added by TUC.)

The Government declares that it believes that human resources development is crucial to meeting the economic and social needs of society; it states that it has massively increased its investment in training and that its commitment to training both the employed and unemployed throughout working life is shown by the very comprehensive schemes implemented and described in the report. The Committee notes however, from the above-mentioned White Paper (paragraph 6.19), that training for people in employment is relatively undeveloped and that a recent study of the funding of training shows that half of all employees received no training at all in 1987. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would supply in its next report information on the measures taken, in conformity with Article 4, with a view to extending the systems of vocational training to meet the needs of the economy and to ensure that they are adapted to the changing requirements of individuals throughout their life.

Article 5

6. Referring in its communication of January 1989 to the pending proposals concerning the abolition of the Training Commission, a tripartite national training authority and of the seven remaining statutory tripartite training boards, the TUC considers that the future structures to be established at national, sectoral and local level may involve union representatives, but there is no automatic provision for union involvement. The Government supplied a detailed reply to these allegations, explaining the reasons for its decision to abolish the Training Commission and its replacement with the Training Agency. It states that in taking this decision it takes full account of the views expressed by the organisations representing employers and employees, and also of its continuing obligations under Article 5 of the Convention. The Government reiterates the assurance contained in the White Paper referred to above, that the process of involving both employers and unions, as well as other interested parties, in the process of formulating policy and implementing programmes will continue as far as the Government is concerned. The report gives further information on the arrangements existing at national, local or industry levels. A National Training Task Force (NTTF) composed of leading figures in their fields and chosen for their personal commitment to training, was appointed in 1989 in order to assist the Secretary of State for Employment in carrying out his vocational education and training responsibilities. At local level, Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) have been operating since July 1989. Finally, at industry level, the Government declares that it is not planning to abolish the seven existing statutory Industry Training Boards (ITBs), but that ITBs are to put forward plans to become independent non-statutory training organisations, generating their income from subscriptions and charges for services and products.

Referring to its previous comments, the Committee takes note of the assurances given by the Government and hopes that the Government will implement the appropriate measures and procedures with a view to give full effect to the provisions of Article 5 and to ensure that due co-operation with employers' and workers' organisations takes place in the field of vocational guidance and training at the stage of policy and programme formulation. It trusts that in its next report the Government will describe in greater details the achievements of co-operation with employers' and workers' organisations in connection with the measures contemplated or recently implemented, mentioned in this observation.

7. The Committee is not in a position, at this stage, to reach a conclusion on the matter. However, considering the allegations presented by the TUC and the information supplied by the Government, it is led to express some concern as regards the developments noted. It trusts that the Government will provide further detailed information showing that the policy implemented and the measures envisaged will not have as a consequence the lowering of the commitment of the Government to its obligations under the Convention.