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The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consultation on what further powers should be delegated to the Greater London Authority (GLA) is a resounding vote of confidence in London's mayoralty. It has thrown into sharp focus the importance of greater devolution to London and, in particular, of bringing the responsibilities for learning and skills within its developing democratic regional arrangements.
Here we are, in one of the world's most prosperous cities. Yet London has the highest level of regional unemployment in the UK. Only 69% of working age adults are in employment, compared with a national average of 75%.
The Leitch report established how important high-level skills are for the UK economy. Our calculations are that, by 2010, 46% of all jobs in the capital are going to demand high-level skills, a rise of 8%. At the same time, there is a strong demand for basic skills in London, and a need for flexible provision for speakers of other languages, so that London's disadvantaged communities are equipped to enter the labour market.
I am charged with preparing the economic development strategy for London, but have no control over some of the most important mechanisms for implementing that strategy. And the responsibility for learning and skills and for post-16 students and the adult population, an operation spending £1.7bn a year in the capital, sits entirely outside London's regional governance structure.
I do not believe London is well served by the current arrangements. There are five Learning and Skills councils operating in London, and the areas they represent have no coherence in terms of discrete economic entities, travel-to-work patterns, or any notion of natural communities. The consultation shows that the LSCs are seen by stakeholders as complex, fragmented and lacking a strategic approach. Only this year, perhaps as a result of our criticisms, has a city-wide plan for skills been put forward.
So what is it I have proposed to government? I want to see skills development integrated into the responsibilities of regional government in the capital. I believe that one employer-led body, accountable to the mayor and charged with shaping the skills agenda in London, is the best way to provide the impetus and leadership to meet the challenge of addressing underachievement and skills gaps.
The government has ambitious strategies for improving the skills base both within the adult population and among young people in the 14- to 19-year-old age group. London will play a key role in the delivery of national targets. But we need to have flexibility in the way the target regime is interpreted, so that we can address the wide range of skills needed to support the London economy and bring people who have missed out back into the labour market.
I will not be looking to micro-manage. What providers want is a clear framework in which to operate, the cutting of unnecessary red-tape and the freedom to get on with the job. What I am much more interested in, and what I will be demanding of all providers, is the assurance that they are making provision of the highest quality.
I want to see business raise the level of investment it is making in the existing workforce. Alongside that, our schools and colleges should be providing world-class opportunities for our young people so that they can perform in a world-class economy.
There are encouraging signs in London. The achievement levels of 16-year-olds at GCSE have risen above the national average this year. Young people in London have demonstrated their willingness to stay in education to maximise their qualifications.
But there is still much more to do. We need to take full advantage of the opportunities presented in hosting the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012. We cannot stand still if we are to meet the demands of our expanding economy. The proposals I have put forward will ensure that we raise the profile of skills provision in London and offer the best opportunity for bringing together business, learning providers and the voluntary and community sectors in securing our economic wellbeing in the years to come.
· Ken Livingstone is the mayor of London
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