Shazia Ejaz, Director of Campaigns and Research at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has responded to the Skills England announcement from the government.
“The urgency with which the new government is setting out plans to improve the ability for people to train up, and for employers to access the skills they are desperate for, is welcome,” she said. “Employers have long wanted to see reform of the skills system. Skills England has an important job to improve upon the Apprenticeship Levy which failed to meet employer demands and where so much money paid in to the pot wasn’t used effectively. That is why businesses and especially recruiters who understand employer needs should now be central to advising the body on priority setting and the best approach to combatting labour shortages.”
Ejaz adds that the move to a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy where apprenticeships will not be the only option available for employers to spend their levy funds on will be a huge help for temporary workers. As she points out, not everyone works full-time or with the same employer for long periods, so training has to be accessible to people working flexibly. With around one million temporary workers on assignment on any given day, most of these people have been missing out on opportunities to train. “Skills England must focus on redressing that,’ she says. “One way to do that is to allow the new Levy to fund modular courses in worker-short sectors.
“By working with the Migration Advisory Committee, Skills England can help reduce reliance on overseas workers,” Ejaz adds, “But public policy must find a balance between helping domestic talent to shine while accepting that takes time. So along with today’s announcement we want to hear more from the government on how they will create a fair and flexible immigration system to meet the needs of business. And we should remember that survey after survey shows people support immigration by those who are here to work, pay tax, and build a life. To maximise economic growth, we need a skills and immigration policy that work in sync to meet the needs of employers in the private and public sectors.”
