10-year ‘NHS-style’ plan needed for skills and apprenticeships – Exclusive

The challenge is set by senior politician Robert Halfon, chair of Parliament’s cross-party Education Select Committee, as part of the week-long series, A Blueprint for Yorkshire’s Future, launched by this newspaper.

He says skills and training is so important to the prospects of young people that it needs the level of commitment afforded to the NHS – and a fully fledged “apprenticeship guarantee” – if another generation of youth unemployment is to be avoided as the Covid-19 recession deepens.

He also warns Ministers that short-term policy solutions do not go far enough – and more tuition and mentoring needs to be offered to disadvantaged pupils whose school studies have been hit by the Covid-19 lockdown.

Warning that attainment in the North was lagging behind other parts of the country before the pandemic struck, there are now concerns that not all schools will fully reopen in September.

In The Yorkshire Post, Mr Halfon writes: “If the NHS can have a 10-year plan, surely education and skills should have one too, setting out a strategic vision, funding and policy proposals. Our country’s anthem should not just be ‘Build, build, build’ but ‘Skills, skills, skills’.”

Pointing to new research by accountants PwC which says nearly 30 per cent of jobs currently taken by 16 to 24-year-olds could be fully automated by the next decade, Mr Halfon is perturbed by a recent drop in school-leavers beginning apprenticeships.

“Yorkshire is fortunate to have some remarkable universities, further education and higher education colleges, but they should be encouraged to increase their degree apprenticeships offer,” he writes.

“My hope is that 50 per cent of students going to university will be doing degree apprenticeships – earning while they learn, without being saddled with debt, acquiring skills and securing a high-quality job upon completion.”

Mr Halfon also calls for the Government to change its procurement rules so lucrative Government contracts are awarded to firms at the vanguard of the apprenticeship policy.

Last night Northern Powerhouse Partnership director Henri Murison welcomed the intervention.

“We were glad to be able to work with Robert Halfon MP and many Northern Parliamentarians on a cross-party basis to secure the Government’s catch up fund, including the element focused on children who have fallen furthest behind,” he said.

“Apprenticeships, and in particular the potential for more degree apprenticeships, are vital as we build back better.”

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Minister defends Government’s record

SKILLS Minister Gillian Keegan last night defended the Government’s record on apprenticeships.

“We are taking unprecedented steps,” she said. “Apprenticeships are an excellent way to get into a range of rewarding careers and they will play a vital role in delivering the skills that employers and our economy need to recover.

“We are providing £2,000 to employers for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25 and £1,500 for those aged 25 and over. Alongside this, launched The Skills Toolkit which offers a range of free, online digital and numeracy courses to help people boost their skills.

“Finally, we are making a substantial £2.5bn investment in a new National Skills Fund.”

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