Strategy to 'boost skills now and in future'

Tynwald approved the three-year strategy this month

A commitment to lifelong learning and engagement with industry leaders will help the island's economy now and in the future, an MHK has said.

A three-year Skills Strategy outlining plans to plug gaps in some parts of the island's workforce was approved by Tynwald members this month.

While it was supported, some MHKs raised concerns that the strategy did not have clear outcomes or take into account the future uses of artificial intelligence.

Outlining the next steps for the plan Sarah Maltby said the government's skills board would work to develop a workforce "fit for the future".

'Outward looking'

The strategy sets out four goals - to take action informed by data, to engage employers, to commit to lifelong learning, and to create diverse talent.

The board's independent chairman Peter Reid said the changes in industries on the island had already begun.

"It's not something that might happen in three years, it's already happened and it's actually going on," he said.

However, both he and Mrs Maltby said they were confident that the board, with input from firms and support from the Council of Ministers, would be able to work to ensure islanders of all ages could access education and training to gain the skills businesses needed.

Peter Reid said schools were playing a part in guiding students into appropriate skills areas

Ms Maltby said the skills board would play an important role in meeting that aim because it was an "outward looking board" that could "see what's happening around the world, further afield than just the UK" and ensure those skills were developed on the island.

Reflecting on the situation in Isle of Man schools, Mr Reid said the situation was very different to what had been believed it to be before the board was set up.

Schools, teachers and career advisers, focused much more on the individual and what they could achieve, rather than just on the basics of education, which meant the concepts were "a lot better" than originally thought, he added.