Responding to this morning’s speech by the Prime Minister regarding the establishment of Skills England, Mark Hilton, Policy Delivery Director at BusinessLDN, said:
“The Prime Minister is right to stress the importance of partnership between government, industry and educators in developing a joined-up approach to skill development and migration policy. Skills England must work closely with the Migration Advisory Committee and businesses to ensure we are both upskilling UK workers effectively and attracting the top international talent we need to accelerate growth.
“More than a third of London firms report skills and capacity gaps within their workforce. That’s why we’ve led on crafting interventions to address those gaps in the London Local Skills Improvement Plan. Skills England should take these plans, which have been developed across the country, as its starting point for engagement.
“It was encouraging to hear Keir Starmer recognise the importance of allowing young people to earn and learn through apprenticeships. The apprenticeship levy system has been a continuous source of frustration for many employers since its introduction. We look forward to supporting the development of a new levy model which puts responsiveness and flexibility front and centre.”