Skills are the problem. But does anyone have a solution?

For years, words ‘skills’ and ‘crisis’ have been joined in British political discourse. It’s a problem that no one seems able to crack and on May 2^nd, The Spectator is holding a conference to get to the bottom of it. Labour excelled at explaining the problem. When Gordon Brown went through his phase of ennobling bankers and asking them to decide government policy, he asked Lloyds’ Sandy Leitch to conduct the Skills Review which found that Britain does well at educating its elite, but not well with others. Germany, by contrast, has 60pc of youngsters in upper secondary education in vocational training. Half of all German pupils in vocational training spend more time in the workplace – studying for apprenticeships – than they do in the classroom, meaning that when they graduate, they are the perfect package for employers.

So what’s Britain’s problem? Why can’t we emulate Germany’s prowess when it comes to teaching pupils ‘skills’? Two peers have some thoughts: Kenneth Baker, who started school reform off under the Tory government and Andrew Adonis, architect of the Academies Programme.