Energy firms see the light

Fri 11 Jan 2008

Three of the biggest energy firms have agreed to a government initiative to help employees get better qualified, Personnel Today has reported.

John Denham, secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, announced that Shell, BP and Scottish & Southern Energy will join the Leitch skills pledge.

They are part of eight new companies to sign up to the promise to support staff attain a level two qualification.

Mr Denham announced he wanted more companies to join the plan and assured them he was committed to extending formal accreditation to their in-house training.

"Having visited companies across the country, I know that high-quality training makes a real difference - to the commitment and creativity of staff, to increased productivity and ultimately to the bottom line," he said.

The Leitch skills pledge shares responsibility for training between the state, employer and employees. It is open to employers of all jobs and to date 852 organisations have agreed to take part.