As with so many previous UK skills initiatives, there is much to be cynical about in the government’s latest campaign. The new “Our future. It’s in our hands” ads may be only the first element to come out of the imminent Leitch Review implementation plan, but the campaign remains far too narrow in scope and scale if it is serious about having a quantifiable impact on the UK’s worsening skills crisis.

The launch of a new web site and helpline designed to make it easier for employees and employers to find out about training opportunities is welcome. But an attempt by the government to simplify the current training and qualifications landscape, which is so dominated by different accreditations and skills councils that even experts find it disorientating, would be more welcome still.

Moreover, any skills advertising campaign is bound to struggle without reforms to improve the quality and accessibility of training. As one commentator observed, “Asking people if they want more skills is like asking them if they want a new Aston Martin. Everyone says yes, but that does not mean they can afford it.”

If the government is serious about skills, tax breaks to make it more affordable for firms to invest in training could be a useful measure. Similarly, it should seriously consider emulating certain European countries that make access to training a legal right.

Finally, any attempts to deliver a knowledge economy will falter without a greater focus on technology at schools and universities. It may be a tall order to encourage

technology graduates to become IT teachers and lecturers when many are choosing to drop out of IT altogether, but it is a challenge the government must accept if it is to provide the stream of highly skilled graduates the economy requires.

As chancellor, Gordon Brown cultivated a reputation for understanding the link between skills and competitiveness. However, that reputation will be quickly lost if he does not use his newly acquired power to deliver the major structural changes required to improve the UK’s skills profile.