Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement of new steps to help young people access vocational education and enable local leaders to shape pathways into work, Mark Hilton, Policy Delivery Director at BusinessLDN, which leads on development of the London Local Skills Improvement Plan, and recently found that just half of London firms have the skills they need to meet the requirements of their businesses, said:
“These new measures mark a positive step towards making our education system more responsive to the skills needs of businesses at a time when the world of work is being transformed by AI.
“The Government is right to back locally led approaches to bringing employers and educators together to co-design training programmes that will equip young people with the skills that growth sectors in their areas are seeking.
“The capital has the highest unemployment rate in the country, with one in four young Londoners not currently in education, employment or training, so tackling this challenge is critical to unlocking the city’s full potential as an engine of growth for the whole UK.
“The Government should also look again at ways to bring down the high costs of employment, highlighted in the Milburn Review, to make it easier for firms to hire those at the start of their careers.”