The government-commissioned Leitch report, which examined the UK’s long-term skills needs, has been broadly welcomed by industry.

The report has recommended that employers be made to sign up to a pledge to train more staff and also suggests the creation of a new Commission for Employment and Skills.

John Rose (pictured), chief executive of Hudson UK & Ireland, said: “Good training and development programmes have long been one of the key ways for employers to hang on to and motivate talented employees.  For some, however, the cost of implementing such programmes has acted as a deterrent.

"Government support and guidance is welcome, but ultimate responsibility for vastly improving the UK workforce’s skills must fall on each and every employer.”

Meanwhile Richard Lambert, director-general of the CBI, said:  "Nobody reading the Leitch report could deny that we have to raise our game on skills if the UK is to seize the opportunities that globalisation brings and mitigate its downsides, at a time when jobs for the unskilled are becoming more scarce.

"Currently, too many employers remain confused and bewildered by the skills infrastructure. There is a clear need to ensure a better match between publicly-funded courses and the training and development that employers and employees are looking for.”