The Talent Challenge

Business in the Community is convening a unique, business led coalition to tackle the talent challenge. The first two in a series of talent debates have now taken place – the first on 11 June, was held at Microsoft’s UK Headquarters in Reading, and on 3 July, delegates gathered at Stourbridge College’s Advanced Technology Centre in the West Midlands.

Talent is about the inherent quality in people to be good at something. We are facing the biggest restructuring of the world economy since the rise of the USA. Britain needs to urgently address the gap between where the country is today and where we need to be to remain competitive.

The Prime Minister, via video message, addressed an audience of South East businesses, senior politicians and representatives from education and the community on the need to tackle the UK’s talent challenge, one of the gravest issues facing the country today.

We are currently witnessing the biggest restructuring of the World Economy since the rise of the USA.  Over the next 10 years China and India will double in economic size – the UK will be only 25% larger. By 2020 the Chinese economy will be bigger than all 27 EU economies put together. In this fast changing context, global competition and an international labour market pose a huge challenge to Britain, where in our knowledge-based economy people and their talents are the principal resource.

Unlocking talent

The regional debates are sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and are looking at ways of developing talent and skills inside and outside the workplace.

Regional Ministers have taken personal responsibility for gathering the outcomes of these debates and will report back to the Prime Minister later in the year.

David Lammy MP Skills Minister said: “I'm hugely encouraged by the different groups that are coming together at these debates, demonstrating the importance of government working with businesses and local communities to raise aspirations and unlock talent to ensure the UK remains competitive.”

Further information

For more information on what Business in the Community is doing on the talent challenge, please see our Talent briefing (129 kb) document

View the Prime Minister on YouTube calling on business leaders to do more to unlock talent on 6 December 2007.

We will be launching a web tool soon for business leaders, community brokers, educators and policy makers to discuss how the UK can best meet the talent challenge.