Skills key to Yorkshire’s success and that’s why Apprenticeship Levy should be simplified - The Yorkshire Post says

The frustration for businesses here is that there’s a real opportunity for Yorkshire to lead the charge on the country’s net zero ambitions.

Recent research by CBI Economics identified Yorkshire as a ‘hotspot’ for net zero jobs.

But the skills shortage will hold back the region’s ambitions to play a leading role in the UK’s net-zero revolution.

The Government must simplify the Apprenticeship Levy. It was meant to boost opportunities and make recruitment easier for businesses. Unfortunately, too many firms are reticent about taking on apprentices due to the complexity of the system.

How are young people going to get the requisite skills and experience if they don’t get the opportunities?

The Yorkshire Post was invited to the Churchill Room in the House of Commons and it heard the frustration of both university leaders and captains of industry when it came to the levy.

Surely, it is an easy win for the Government and we urge decision makers to follow up on the remarks of industry leaders and take quick action.

As the recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows, decades of benefit reforms have pushed more people into work but very often into part-time, low-paid work with little prospect of progression. And this is why there needs to be greater opportunities for people to upskill.

However, the focus shouldn’t just be on providing young people the skills but also upskilling people in the existing workforce.

The work of the Leeds-based coding school Northcoders is a fine example of what can be achieved in equipping people of all ages with skills for the future.