A new qualification to be introduced
This week’s government announcements are significant for the engineering and technology community.
The post-16 education and skills white paper outlines reforms to the post-16 education and skills system in England. It is designed to meet the needs of the economy, close skills gaps and support growth.
The clean energy jobs plan sets out, for the first time, the workforce needed to deliver its clean energy ambitions. It also looks at how government will work in partnership with industry and trade unions to deliver it.
Beatrice Barleon, our Head of Policy and Public Affairs, shares our reaction to these announcements:
Post-16 education and skills white paper
“We are pleased to see the publication of the long-awaited post-16 education and skills white paper.
“We cautiously welcome the announcement of V Levels, designed to work alongside A levels and T Levels. This signals a promising step towards strengthening work-focused training for young people in key sectors like engineering and technology.
“Government must ensure that this new qualification is recognised and supported by employers and further and higher education institutions and will lead to meaningful outcomes for both young people and employers. Plus, it is vital that any subsequent changes are followed by a period of stability, with young people, employers and providers alike crying out for some clarity.
“We also welcome the confirmation of the government ambition for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher level learning by age of 25. And we are pleased to see the data driven approach that will drive investment in education and training in growth sectors. It is vital, however, that the focus on getting more young people trained at Levels 4 and 5 does not distract from the need to increase apprenticeship opportunities for young people at Levels 2 and 3. These serve as important entry routes into the engineering and technology sector.”
Clean energy jobs plan
“We were also interested to see the Clean energy jobs plan, published this week. The plan makes it very clear that the UK needs a coherent strategy as to how to meet growing workforce demand. The white paper does provide some clarity of direction and the funding available to achieve this. We welcome the confirmation of a £182 million investment in engineering sector skills, as well as the funding for construction skills. This is a positive step towards recognising the dependence of the Industrial Strategy growth-driving sectors (IS-8 sectors) on engineering skills and their cross-cutting nature.
“We look forward to working with government to ensure that the system delivers for growth, for young people and for engineering and technology employers alike.”
We cautiously welcome the announcement of V Levels, designed to work alongside A levels and T Levels. This signals a promising step towards strengthening work-focused training for young people in key sectors like engineering and technology.
— Beatrice Barleon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, EngineeringUK
