At twenty one you’re on top of the scrapheap
At sixteen you were top of the class
All they taught you at school
Was how to be a good worker
The system has failed you, don’t fail yourself

In 1983 Billy Bragg predicted the future for young Britain with alarming accuracy. More than 31 years later many are struggling with the changing world of work. This is the challenge of our generation: to become a nation where everyone has the skills, resources and networks not only to find employment but to secure the lives they desire in the breakneck global economy. Balancing the books will help tackle our economic stability, but it is only addressing our productivity gap that will guarantee decent, well-paid jobs for all.

In 2014 productivity levels of the United Kingdom are now 17 per cent behind the G7 average, the largest difference since 1992. In the fast pace of new industries and disruptive technologies, our citizens are losing the battle to be adaptable and their wages are suffering as a result. Too often we have looked to schools alone to make sure our young people have the skills to compete, expecting them to predict the complex and fast-moving needs of business with minimal assistance. Businesses in turn complain about a lack of soft skills among new employees, while governments end up telling people to work harder, or being pressured to pour more money into schemes with little impact.

The reality is that the knowledge to respond to the future opportunities or even create them in the workplace lies not with one agency alone, but across government, business, schools and employees themselves. Thus, while there is growing debate about the future of education, it is vital we also understand and develop a parallel approach to creating modern industrial partnerships. Equipping our future workforce requires us to tap into the expertise government, trade unions and businesses working together can also bring to securing economic prosperity. The good news is that the source material is already there. Many trade unions are already at the forefront of delivering training and skills development programmes for their members. Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries in Glasgow is a factory where over 50 per cent of the workforce is disabled. Community, the recognised trade union at the factory, has worked in partnership with management to develop training programmes which take physically disabled young people in Glasgow through a training programme which leads to a decent job. The added value that Community brings to both the workers and the company is clear. Crucially the project is supported by local government which plays a key role in bringing the business and trade union together in partnership to make a positive difference to workers’ lives.

Engaging businesses and government to deliver such training in partnership gives trade unions the opportunity to provide an ever better service to members and play a key role in addressing the UK’s productivity gap. Naturally, such initiatives cannot be preserved solely for those 16 per cent of private sector workers in a trade union. However, positive engagement between unions and non-unionised businesses through government facilitated training and productivity programmes is surely something that the trade movement would recognise as a prime opportunity for growth.

While the current coalition government views trade unions as barriers to change we know that they can be the facilitators of change in the workplace, both within sectors and at a national level too. A Labour government would bring both trade unions and business together to tackle those individuals on both sides of the table for whom such an approach is ideologically unthinkable. As Billy also points out ’just because you’re going forwards, doesn’t mean I’m going backwards’. Labour is serious about reshaping our economy so that it grows in a more sustainable, balanced and inclusive way. Only we can lead the work to put into practice the partnerships that can make this a reality for all.

It is with this message that we welcome the TUC’s Decent Jobs Week and our guest edit of the Progress website, which features articles by Nita Clarke of IPA Involve, Doug Richards of School for Startups, Mark Rusling of the London borough of Waltham Forest, Ben Lyons of Intern Aware, freelancer Josephine Bacon, and Sarah Champion MP on equal pay, Dan Jarvis MP on the minimum wage, and John Woodcock MP on ending bogus self-employment.

Please support Decent Jobs Week and enjoy the range of articles that we have in store today!

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Stella Creasy MP is shadow minister for competition and consumer affairs. John Park is assistant general secretary for Community union