Reset button to be pressed on Skills Guernsey

Education, Sport & Culture president Andrea Dudley-Owen referred to the plan during answers to questions posed initially by Deputy John Gollop.

She said that this was a cross-committee sub-group which aimed to ensure that the island had a highly-skilled workforce, ‘equipped for the opportunities and challenges of the global economy’.

In response to a point from Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, co-chair of the group with Deputy Sam Haskins, Deputy Dudley-Owen said that it had been agreed to ‘press the reset button’ to review the Skills Guernsey framework, delivery method and other aspects.

This review would not shy away from difficult decisions, she told Economic Development president Deputy Neil Inder, and in response to his question about whether or not the review would be prepared to drop faculties, such as catering, and bring in new ones, such as science, if demand dictated, she said she hoped it would not come to that.

‘I really hope that we wouldn’t have to make such huge decisions such as getting rid of the catering section, but clearly if there were other opportunities that were arising and other ways of delivering of that particular provision, then we have got to be creative and accepting to embracing those.’

There would continue to be engagement with professional teaching and lecturing staff, but also with EcoDev and industry professionals.

The ongoing review of secondary education would not impact on the strategic priority given to Skills Guernsey, she assured.

‘This starts with ensuring we have the right building blocks in place to secure solid foundations in literacy and numeracy skills during the first years of formal education, and continues all the way through to our adult learners, and in every stage in between.’

An exploration of the topic will take place in a briefing session to which deputies will be invited once lockdown had ended.