The number of apprenticeships supported by government funding will increase from today's 250,000 to
400,000 by 2010/11 - but only if high quality employer places are available. There will be an emphasis on expanding apprenticeships for people aged over 25.
30,000 additional apprenticeships for over-25s will cost £90 million over the next three years. By 2010/11, apprentices for people aged over 19 should reach a
total of 125,000 with 281,000 apprenticeships available for those aged 16-18.
This announcement forms part of the Government's statement of priorities and funding for the
Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Key elements include:
- The right to basic skills training where needed, accompanied by the biggest ever investment in this area. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) will spend around
£1.5 billion a year on 'first steps training'.
- The right to free, first-time full level 2 adult training (equivalent to 5 A-C GCSEs) through the
provision of over 800,000 places in 2010/11 - 30% more than 2007/08.
- Provision of more than 500,000 full level 3 adult training places (equivalent to 2 A-levels) in
2010/11. These places will be free for people aged between 19 and 25.
- Doubling Government investment in work based skills training to boost workforce skills and expertise.
- Developing a joined up, one stop advancement service for adults to support people to identify training, develop
skills, access child care support and find long term employment'.
- 'Skills Accounts' for learners, to help fund skills training.
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills said:
"For millions of people, skills and learning are the key to improving their lives - whether getting into and on at work, improving job prospects or simply putting more money into their pockets.
"For the country, skills and learning are the key to remaining globally competitive.
"Today's announcement amounts to a kick-start of the Government's drive to put Britain in the premier league for skills. This work will help ensure the future economic competitiveness of the country. It will raise aspirations, improve life chances and strengthen our families and communities."
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) welcomed the announcement. However, their
press statement noted that CIPD research shows employers to be more concerned with personal and general employability
skills in recruits than they are about basic skills. Nevertheless, the CIPD states that as long as government
initiatives fully take into account the need to boost such core employability skills, there should be
lower unemployment, lower net migration, higher earnings, more stable employment patterns and a boost in labour
productivity.
Dr John Philpott, CIPD Chief Economist, said that the Government should drop
the 'British jobs for British workers' tag from its skills and employment policy rhetoric. He argues that this
doesn't makes sense in economic terms and appeals to the worst sentiments in our society.
He went on to say:
"A moment's reflection demonstrates the economic
nonsense of thinking about jobs in a
nationalistic way.
"Thousands of UK employees earn their living
either directly or indirectly as a result of
foreign investment. More still can thank the
efforts of foreign entrepreneurs who have
migrated to our shores to set up successful
businesses. The jobs provided in these ways are
'British' only insofar as they are located here
- many could be performed almost anywhere in
the global economy. But no one in their right
mind objects to them. Indeed the more 'imported'
jobs of this kind the better for our overall
living standards, not least because inward
investors inject state-of-the art technology,
adopt excellent management practices and offer
relatively good pay and working conditions.
"In similar vein British firms are investing
heavily in emerging markets overseas and
creating employment offshore. Estimates by
the Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development (CIPD) indicate that at least
30,000 'British jobs' are being offshored
every year, mostly to Eastern Europe, India
and China. Although this is inevitably a cause
for concern - especially where offshoring is
accompanied by redundancies in depressed local
economies - the protectionist argument that
these jobs should be retained at home is
misguided. There is no guarantee that a limit
on offshored jobs would result in more jobs in
Britain. There might even be fewer - CIPD
research finds that organisations engaged in
offshoring also create some new, mostly skilled,
jobs in the UK as a result of spin-offs from
overseas operations. And this takes no account
of the potential long-run benefit to the UK
economy of increased demand for goods and
services from economies British investment is
helping to grow.
"In truth of course the Government's focus on
Britishness in this context is designed to
assuage mounting public concern about record
levels of net migration. The trouble in this
respect, however, is that it's harder than
one might think to define "British worker"
for purposes of employment policy. More than
1 in 10 people working in this country are
foreign born. Some are footloose but many
have put down roots and consider themselves,
if not fully British, at least as committed
to their work as us natives. More to the point,
all who work here legally pay taxes and,
assuming they are entitled to remain and have
worked for long enough, can receive welfare
benefits if made unemployed and should be
offered the full range of support, including
skills training, to help them find new jobs.
"The Government should make clear that its
aim is to provide skills and jobs for the
jobless in order to achieve full employment.
If successful, this would limit the need for
immigration at current levels, cut the
associated costs and buttress the Government's
managed migration policy. But clouding this
with talk of "British jobs for British
workers" is simplistic, misleading and at
worst encourages racist and xenophobic
elements in our society whose activities
undermine the common good."
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber also commented:
"We welcome the Government's ambitious plan to raise skill levels across the UK by expanding
Apprenticeships and the Train to Gain programme.
"Increasing investment in skills will support economic growth and productivity, help employees to progress at work and provide more sustainable employment opportunities for those seeking work.
"Trade unions are ready to help workers make the most of these new opportunities, especially through
the 18,000 Union Learning Representatives who last year helped 150,000 employees into training. It is now time for
more employers to step up to the mark and offer more training, including high quality, work-based Apprenticeship
places."
Human Resource Development
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