Give North greater say over skills to build back better – Debbie Francis

Through the National Skills Fund, adults without an A-level or equivalent qualification will be offered a fully funded college course – providing them with skills valued by employers, and the opportunity to study at
a time and place which suits them.

The announcement was perhaps unsurprising given the growing sense of urgency for the Government to find future pathways to employment for the thousands of people who may soon find themselves
out of work, as the furlough
scheme finishes at the end of October.

It’s the right move.

Not only must we tackle the threat of rising unemployment, but we will need a workforce ready-equipped with relevant training and skills in key sectors to the recovery.

Skills needs to stay at the top of the agenda if we are going to have any hope of building back better post-Covid.

The North will need people
to fill jobs in industries such
as digital, advanced manufacturing, as well as the green economy, which will require significant investment as we work towards our goal of Net Zero.

These ‘future-ready’ jobs are more highly skilled, better paid and more secure.

Arcadis currently has 
around 200 people living and working within the Leeds City Region.

We recognise the importance of working together with industry to nurture skills and champion a training system that supports successful delivery.

We are working with schools, colleges and universities to
help them transform how
they deliver their educational courses to achieve better outcomes.

As an example, to ensure the future labour force is equipped with the necessary skills, our colleagues have been providing voluntary support to skills and educational programmes in Bradford, through the Ahead Partnership.

This targets schools within some of the most deprived areas of the city and is an effective way in increasing attainment, raising aspirations and improving inclusivity.

The entrepreneurial and technology skills being nurtured in Bradford will support a more dynamic local labour market that works for all.

The construction sector will be required to recruit from other industries, increase productivity and dramatically reduce waste if it is to overcome a drastic skills shortage.

Arcadis is already recognising this change by encouraging
all of our staff to undertake
digital skills training as part
of a ‘digital basecamp’, as a
way of re-aligning skills to current and future market
needs.

Although a bigger focus on skills from the Government is certainly welcome, there are concerns from many across the North that it will fail to have any impact unless the system is devolved.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe’s work for the Future-Ready
Skills Commission for the
West Yorkshire Combined Authority has been essential in identifying a blueprint for delivering a successful post-16 education and training programme to local communities.

She reiterated calls from
local leaders and businesses across the North, including the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which argue that a detailed knowledge of specific local issues is critical to delivering an effective skills spending plan.

As such, it is combined authorities – not a centralised, national bureaucracy such as the Department for Education – which is best-equipped to deliver these programmes.

By working in close partnership with businesses and employers, local authorities are able to shape a plan to tailor it to the needs of the local economy and its people.

It’s not only huge infrastructure projects that have the power to unlock economic potential, it’s people.

Helping people find more secure, better-paid skilled jobs through reskilling and retraining will be key to any economic growth.

By devolving skills funding and giving local authorities and employers a bigger say in how these programmes are designed and delivered, the Government would be giving local communities a better chance of building an effective road to recovery.

Debbie Francis is City Executive for the North at Arcadis and a board member at the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. She is due to speak at next Thursday’s Great Northern Conference.

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James Mitchinson