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Overview
Submitted to: HM Treasury
EngineeringUK's submission to the Autumn 2024 budget. This sets out a range of policy proposals ahead of the budget and spending review, drawing on our extensive research and first-hand experience of working with STEM educators and employers.
Our proposals are modelled on five priorities for STEM and engineering education and skills, as outlined in our Policy Priorities:
- Grow and sustain engineering apprenticeships for young people
- Boost the uptake of T Levels
- Improve STEM teacher recruitment, training, and retention
- Deliver on careers provision
- Adopt a more strategic approach to engineering workforce planning
Who this is for
- MPs
- Policymakers
Our policy recommendations in more detail
Grow and sustain engineering apprenticeships for young people
- Move towards a new model of directly funding apprenticeships for young people between the ages of 16 and 18 through an increase to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) budget
- Additional funding to expand pre-apprenticeship support and traineeships for those aged 16 to 18 by building and improving existing routes into apprenticeships
- Funding to develop a package of support for apprentices (and T Level students) up to the age of 25 in entry level and low paid work which addresses barriers such as travel and access costs, working with local and combined authorities
- Enable the roll out of more Group Training Associations (GTAs) and continue funding existing GTAs, which support engineering SMEs with the recruitment of apprentices, training and access to levy funds
Boost the uptake of T Levels
- Increase awareness of T Levels amongst employers, students and parents through the continued roll-out of nationwide advertising campaigns
- Work collaboratively with STEM employers and sector bodies to grow the number of T Level industry placements
- Commit to funding BTECs for the full 2024/25 academic year to ease uncertainty facing students, FE colleges and providers, and to ensure that there remain alternative Level 3 technical qualification pathways alongside T Levels
Improve STEM teacher recruitment, training and retention
- Sustain existing Initial Teacher Training funding for STEM subjects, including key practical subjects such as Design & Technology
- £29 million per annum to invest in high-quality Continuing Professional Development for STEM teachers, yielding a significant return on investment through increased retention rates and improved quality of STEM teaching
Deliver on careers provision
- Publish a long term careers strategy, backed by funding in the region of £30 million per annum, to support schools to better resource careers education
- Commit to sustain funding for the STEM Ambassadors programme via UKRI at £5 million per annum over the spending review period
- Reaffirm the government’s commitment to spend £85 million by 2028/29 to provide 2 weeks’ work experience for every student, as pledged in Labour’s General Election manifesto, and set out a roadmap for how this funding will be allocated
Adopt a more strategic approach to workforce planning
- Commit to establishing a National Engineering and Technology Workforce Strategy, consolidating the work of existing taskforces.
