In the run up to, and beyond, this year’s General Election the focus on skills – and how they can revive our flagging economy – will continue to be a key issue.

Faced with this challenge, the AAT – the UK’s largest awarding body for vocational finance qualifications - has launched its own manifesto for change: Delivering skills that power the economy, a document that outlines its five main recommendations for improvement in the skills delivery framework.

Jane Scott Paul, Chief Executive of the AAT, explained: “The revival of the British economy depends on a robust skills policy that delivers a tangible return on investment, which we believe can only be achieved with some significant and wide-ranging changes to the current skills delivery framework.

Less bureaucracy and more employer involvement in the development of skills training needs to be a priority, but one size most certainly does not fit all.

The system needs to be more flexible to take account of different sectors, and different learner needs – particularly in a cross-sector profession like accountancy - and focus on the practical outcome that the training delivers, not the hours spent in a class-room.”

For 30 years, the AAT has played a leading role in training and developing the accounting and finance professionals who keep businesses moving across all sectors of Britain’s economy.

Each year, it awards over 30,000 skills-based qualifications and its learners range from students just starting out (18% of who come from the lowest socio-economic groups) to seasoned professionals looking to keep their skills fresh in a fast-changing business climate.