Call for evidence on skills and training reopened by Lords Committee

• Call for evidence
• Inquiry: Skills for the future: apprenticeships and training
• Industry and Regulators Committee

Background

Skills policies are policies designed to ensure people have the skills needed to perform effectively in the workplace, and to serve the economic needs of UK industry more broadly.

In April, the Industry and Regulators Committee launched an inquiry to examine the UK’s skills-related policies, programmes, and institutions, focusing in particular on apprenticeships and training, and in the context of the skills which the UK workforce will need in the future. The inquiry is examining whether the UK’s current systems and policies for apprenticeships and in-work training are working and, if not, how they should be reformed. The Committee is considering the responsibilities of Government, employers, training providers, and individuals, and the incentives facing these groups.

The Committee’s original call for evidence was closed early due to the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the General Election. The call for evidence has been amended to reflect the policies of the new Government.

Questions

The Committee are seeking repsonses to the following questions:

1. What kinds of skills do you think will be needed for the future of the UK economy? Is the UK’s skills and training system capable of equipping increasing numbers of people with these skills?
2. What is the appropriate level of government intervention in the development of skills policies? What should the Government’s proposed post-16 education strategy include in relation to apprenticeships and training?
3. Are existing Government policies on skills, particularly apprenticeships and training, sufficiently clear? Have policies, funding, and the institutional set-up been sufficiently consistent over time? If not, what changes or reforms would you recommend?
4. Are the right institutions in place to ensure an effective skills system for the future? Should co-ordinating institutions be national, regional, or sectoral, or a mixture of each? What is your view of Government’s proposal to establish a new body, Skills England?
5. What should be the role of businesses in encouraging the development of skills in the UK? Should businesses be a consumer, funder, trainer, or co-designer of skills provision?
6. What incentives do employers have to provide training for their employees? Why do you think that employer investment in training has declined in recent decades?
7. Should further incentives be put in place to reverse the decline in employer investment in training, and if so, what form should these incentives take? Do smaller employers need greater support to access skills provision, and what form should this support take?
8. Concerns have been raised over the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy, particularly in relation to the decline in young people taking on apprenticeships. Is there a case for reforming the levy, for example by ring-fencing more levy funding for training for younger apprentices? If so, what portion of Levy funding should be ring-fenced, and for what ages and levels of qualification?
9. Should the Apprenticeship Levy be made more flexible, allowing funds to be used for shorter courses? What is your view of the Government’s proposals for a Growth and Skills Levy?
10. What is your view of the Government’s proposals for a youth guarantee of access to training, apprenticeships, and employment support? If a guarantee was to be introduced, which institutions should be responsible for providing it and would they need additional resources or powers to do so?
11. Should further education be funded in a demand-led way, as is the case in higher education? Is such a shift practical, and would it be necessary to provide a youth guarantee of access to training?
12. How does the UK’s approach to skills and training compare to those of other countries? Are there examples of good practice that the UK should be learning from?

Timeline

The Committee invites contributions to its inquiry by 27 September 2024.

Further information

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