Mayor will deliver skills in London

Education and skills secretary Alan Johnson has announced that London mayor Ken Livingstone is to be given a statutory duty to promote adult skills in the capital.

The duty is part of a package of new powers for the mayor, who is also to lead a new skills and employment board "to drive forward London's continuing economic growth."

Made up of business leaders, union representatives and others from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the board will create a statutory adult skills strategy and an annual plan encouraging employers to increase their involvement and ensure that adult skills spending is targeted on London's priorities.

The LSC will co-ordinate the strategy's day-to-day delivery.

Livingstone said his priorities were to give people a second chance to get back into viable jobs, and to ensure that enough Londoners have the "level 4" qualifications (a degree, or a Certificate or Diploma in Higher Education) required for many jobs in the capital.

UCU lecturers' union national official Christiane Ohsan said the move would make it possible to develop "a skills strategy which can serve the unique needs of London and its diverse population rather than crudely satisfy the demands of national targets."