Employers must put a greater emphasis on providing support schemes required for giving staff the right skills, according to Michael Izza – chief executive at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW). Speaking at the launch of the latest edition of Securing Britain’s Talent, a publication that addresses how businesses and the government can create the workforce of the future, Izza said: “Investing in talent is crucial. Employers must commit to investing in and developing their workforce and need to create mentoring, training and support structures to give potential leaders the broad range of soft and hard skills they need for the future.”
A brainchild of the ICAEW and web journal LondonlovesBusiness.com, the new edition of Securing Britain’s Talent features comments and insights from leading figures in industry and government – such as London Mayor Boris Johnson, Prince’s Trust CEO Martina Milburn and McDonalds UK vice president Jez Langhorn.
LondonlovesBusiness.com editor Sophie Hobson believes that while Britain has a talented workforce, the authorities must do more to increase opportunities for workers, allowing them to develop the right skills necessary for the global challenges ahead. “The workforce in Britain has fantastic strengths,” she said, “but threats to our future development loom large. The government and businesses must work together to attract local and national talent into the right jobs, broaden opportunities for all who live in Britain, create greater diversity in the workplace and ensure that the youth of today have the opportunity to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
Hobson’s journal specialises in tackling common workplace issues, such the diversity of executive boards, skill shortages in key sectors such as engineering, and macro social problems such as high youth unemployment. “The business leaders who have contributed to this publication,” she added, “understand that developing talent and broadening opportunity are not simply acts of benevolence. They see that nurturing and investing in skills and people makes solid commercial sense, and helps future-proof their organisations, as well as the wider economy.”