Overview
Submitted to: House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee
Our response to this request outlines our position in relation to what is working well in the apprenticeship and training space, and what needs addressing to make sure more young people can access those pathways.
Who this is for
- MPs
- Policymakers
Key recommendations
- We ask that the government takes a more strategic approach to address skills shortages and the UK’s changing labour market needs. This needs to accompany its industrial strategy with a national engineering and technology workforce strategy, supported by a holistic STEM education and skills plan
- Government should ensure that Skills England:
- Leads nationally, responds regionally: While offering national leadership, it must collaborate and link in with local authorities and mayoral combined authorities as well as Local Skills Improvement Plans to address local skills shortages
- Collaborates across devolved nations: Skills England must collaborate with counterparts in the devolved nations to ensure a unified approach to addressing UK-wide skills shortages
- Engages with sector bodies: Work closely with sector-specific bodies such as (in engineering) the Professional Engineering Institutions
- Links to the forthcoming industrial strategy: Align its objectives with the upcoming industrial strategy to ensure a cohesive approach to economic growth
- Links with government missions: Integrate with the government's missions to support broader policy goals and priorities
- Strategically influences: Skills England must be strategic and have the authority to influence employer behaviour and government policy on education and skills.
- Government should continue to refocus apprenticeship funding on lower-level apprenticeships and young people. Government should consider taking 16 to 18-year-olds out of the growth and skills levy altogether and look to fund them directly through re-directing unallocated levy receipts
- Government should put in place appropriate support structures for SMEs to encourage and enable them to open up more apprenticeship opportunities, such as a growing network of Group Training Associations and financial incentives where needed
- Government works to foster better collaboration between engineering and technology employers, schools and further education providers to grow the number of industry placements, work experience opportunities and outreach activities, enabling more young people to gain insights into the careers opportunities available
- Government invests in subject specific teacher CPD in priority subject areas such as STEM that improve teacher retention alongside bursaries as part of its drive to recruit 6,500 new teachers.
We also said that:
The government must ensure opportunities align with regional strengths and help SMEs access funds and support through better intermediary services, such as a growing network for Group Training Associations. The post-16 strategy must ensure alignment with labour market needs and increase awareness of lower-level apprenticeship opportunities to reverse declines in STEM apprenticeships since 2016.
To widen opportunities, more work must be done to encourage employers to offer more apprenticeships to young people including those not meeting minimum maths and English requirements, and connect applicants with opportunities within their supply chains
