'In a world where vows are worthless. Where making a pledge means nothing. Where promises are made to be broken, it would be nice to see words come back into power’. 

Renowned author Chuck Palahniuk’s opinion supports the view that there is a cynical approach within global society.  Harsh words yes and based on emotion, as opposed to logic, but there are times in the political environment when they can ring true. Maybe it’s the media’s alacrity to cover all things election, policies, manifestos, position papers, debates, argument, counter argument and analysis, but when I came across this quote recently I immediately thought of Nick Clegg.  Again harsh, but that’s all I have to write to reference a particular issue and the vast majority of readers know exactly what I’m referring to.  The volte-face he made was undoubtedly Nick’s and the Lib Dem’s nadir of their entire time in coalition power, but its lived long in the memory.

Five years on from that fees promise it is still being cast up to him and, in his absence, to his party colleagues most notably after last Thursday night’s leaders’ debate.  I sensed a little election fatigue setting in amongst certain reporters and commentators over the last week or so.  Never one to be venerable towards any politician or political party, Piers Morgan was particularly critical of all the promises on Question Time.

It’s easy to be cynical and dismiss political parties’ positioning prior to elections, but this is the key time for them to make their pledges and policies stand out.  Of course they make some empty promises, that’s the nature of politics but on the whole they are not usually politically defining ones.  The reason that student fees still lingers over Nick Clegg like a rain cloud is that it made him look weak on a very important issue. 

Although the issue of developing a skilled workforce for Northern Ireland is devolved and driven by DEL & DETI, (to change, at some point, to the Department of the Economy), as a business employer I’ve been keen to see just how far up the political agenda this issue is for the parties that will lead a UK government and whether it is, in any way, a defining policy.  The answer?  Yes, skills are prominently positioned in the manifestos, with Labour for example focusing on digital & technology skills and the reduction of student fees, but across the board it is by no means a defining policy.  In my view it should be, particularly when you consider that 63% of businesses cite skills shortage as a major threat to competitiveness throughout 2015 with 54% believing that this will still be the case in five years time*.   This concern is one that is shared by Andrew Adonis, a Blairite, Labour peer, and former Minister for Schools & Transport. 

He believes it is the short termism of politicians and political parties, an inconsistent approach with the attraction of ‘short term results at the expense of long term planning’ that has been the undoing of the skills agenda.  This stands to reason.  Using a sporting analogy, Tyrone haven’t won three all Irelands in eleven years by chance.  They put long term structures in place before anyone else, in Ulster at least, to grow and develop their emerging talent.  To support the point Adonis highlights that there has been 13 Acts of Parliament and seven major reports over the last 30 years on skills with a prevalence on policies being ‘chopped and changed’ for publicity purposes.  Nobody is suggesting keeping the same skills policies for 30 years, as there is a consistent need to review and adapt according to emerging industries, economic needs & trends etc both locally & globally.  However, Adonis’ point is that just like the sporting analogy basing growth & development on a long term approach, with targets based on economic forecasts and hard evidence, with central and local government locked in, the skills agenda is best placed to mature with time to succeed over a targeted ten year period.

For all his flaws, Charlie Haughey was credited by many economists for starting the positive transformation of the economy in the South in the late 1980s but he wasn’t in power to see its rewards emerge some ten years later.  Now having come through the most turbulent economic period in the State’s history, with the fastest growing economy in Europe at 4.8% (in 2014) Ireland will struggle to maintain the level of workforce required to maintain its growth.  Years of emigration have seen the IT, engineering and construction sectors in particular feeling the cold draft of departing jets.  There is now a strong lobby for a reassessment of Ireland’s approach to its skill base too.  But just like the North it is impeded by a challenging budgetary environment.  There has been advances in terms of where and how we can develop and grow the skills base for NI plc.  STEM, IT, agri-food, engineering and manufacturing, biomedical, creative industries and the arts, so often overlooked yet so critical to a niche economy like ours, have all made modest steps forward.  

But we need the long term consistent and targeted approach that Adonis is advocating. At a very basic level this approach demands that we remain committed to the required level of investment.  Our universities are the umbilical cord to a burgeoning skills base and cutting it represents anything other than a long term approach and will only help to support the skills shortage in GB and the South.  Yes with such a restrictive budget there are hard choices to be made but in my view we’ve scored an own goal in lapsing upon our long term commitment to the institutions that have such strong networks and provide the talent to grow the local economy.   We all know that corporation tax is not a panacea but if we don’t provide that long term strategy and commitment to developing our skills and unlock its potential, it could become an economic white elephant.  A skilled workforce, in plentiful supply in GB and ROI is good for Northern Ireland.  Let’s hope new governments to the east and to the south get it right and help point us in the right direction.

By Claire Aiken, Managing Director of Belfast & Dublin based PR & PA agency, Aiken PR.

*Joint report by CBI & Accenture