What is skills escalation?

Skills escalation is the workforce development strategy to deliver the objective of a growing and changing NHS workforce. It links:

• lifelong learning
• recruitment and retention
• pay modernisation
• role redevelopment
• career management

What can it achieve?

Effective skills escalation can help to:

• Attract a wide range of people to work within the NHS by offering a variety of entry points, career pathways and training, at 'step on' and 'step off' points
• Encourage all staff to renew and extend their skills and knowledge, enabling them to transfer and progress
• Realise efficiencies and skills mix benefits through appropriate role redesign
• Create new learning activities, from improving adult LLN skills, through to the inclusion of management development programmes
• Modernise the framework(s) of qualifications and awards and the associated education and training provision
• Optimise skill transferability and ensure that career development opportunities are available to all by recognising and developing transferable skills

Where does Literacy, Language and Numeracy come in?

Previously, the health sector has looked at its workforce within the context of fixed boundaries that limited flexibility.

These boundaries are now disappearing and, in several areas, cross-sector partnerships for skills escalation are becoming vital links to strengthen public safety and enable seamless, individually centered patient care.

LLN plays a vital part in the skills escalation and progression process.