Member

One of the very important points about that programme, which survived multiple changes of Government and delivered that transition before time and under budget, was that the trade unions had very heavy involvement. They included the General and Municipal Workers’ Union, the forerunner of today’s GMB, which had a formal consultative role on the curriculum that was overseen by that body. Over time, the trade unions have been squeezed off the boards of both the CITB and the ECITB, the remaining industrial training boards, which is contrary to the original intentions of Parliament in the legislation that underpins those bodies. I therefore hope that, in the course of continued policy development in this area, this Government will look at that issue because, as Ministers have rightly assured us, employee voices will be represented through Skills England. I hope that that can be the case for the remaining training boards as well.