Education Policy Briefing: February 2022

CBI respond to select committee inquiry on post-16 education

As part of our ongoing parliamentary engagement on skills reform, the CBI has submitted evidence to the Education Select Committee, considering the future of post-16 qualifications.
With reforms to Level 3 qualifications ongoing and the Post-16 Education and Skills Bill making its way through parliament, the committee is exploring whether proposed changes go far enough to ensure young people are prepared for the world of work.

Within the submission, the CBI argue:

• Boosting progression to Level 3 and beyond will be vital to prevent widening skills gaps in the economy.
• As technology transforms the world of work, both how and what young people learn must continue to adapt.
• Young people should be prepared and enabled to build their skills throughout careers.

Read our full submission

The CBI will continue working to ensure ongoing skills reform responds to the needs of business, learners, and the economy.

Speak to the education and skills team to share your feedback, or for any other queries.

CBI launch D&I guide Time to Advance

In Time to Advance – a new guide from the CBI – business case studies outline examples from those who are advancing their D&I strategies beyond race and gender to protected characteristics such as disability and age. The guide also includes examples of how firms are shifting the dial towards greater inclusivity in the workplace.

Labour and skills shortages are widespread and are affecting numerous sectors across the economy. From construction and manufacturing to retail and hospitality, businesses are struggling to find the talent they need to grow. Embedding D&I into the business strategy is a major tool at companies’ disposal to overcome these challenges.

Education and skills providers have a vital role in supporting the diversity and inclusion strategy of firms by enabling all talent, regardless of age and background, to progress. For more information on this guide and our wider work on diversity and inclusion, please contact Poppy.

CBI engaging with MPs during final stages of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill

As the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill reaches report stage, the CBI are continuing to engage with parliamentarians to ensure legislation delivers for businesses, providers, and learners. This follows evidence submitted to the Public Bill Committee during the previous stage of the Bill’s passage.

The CBI welcome the Skills Bill and government intention to boost lifelong learning, put businesses at the heart of skills planning, and ensure qualifications provide highly prized skills to people of all ages. However, the Bill can be strengthened by:

1. Removing funding barriers for reskilling and ramping up the flexibility of adult education and training.
2. Underpinning a coherent place-based and co-ordinated national approach to deliver the skills our economy needs.
3. Ensuring technical qualifications remain in lockstep with industry and help more young people develop the skills to succeed.

The CBI will publish further evidence shared with MPs after the report stage debate. Speak to the education and skills team to share your feedback on the Skills Bill, or for any other queries.

Government to establish Unit for Future Skills as part of plans for Levelling Up

The government has published the long-awaited Levelling Up white paper, putting skills and training at the centre of plans to spread opportunity more equally across the whole UK. The white paper reaffirms the government’s commitment to LSIPs, Skills Bootcamps, the FE Capital Transformation Fund, and IoTs.

It also commits DfE to establish a new Unit for Future Skills, working with BEIS and DWP to bring together skills data held across government:

• The Unit will produce information on local skills demand, future skills needs of business, the skills available in an area and the pathways between training and good jobs
• The Unit will aim to improve the quality of data available within and outside UK Government in the short-term to strengthen the quality of local plans and provision, and their alignment with labour market need, as well as enable the updating of apprenticeship standards, qualifications and accountability measures
• Its work will also feed into DfE’s commitment to provide a single-source of labour market information to learners to improve their choice of training courses and careers

The CBI welcomes this announcement as an opportunity to create a coherent place based and coordinated national response to skills shortages. This has been a key CBI ask of the Skills Bill. It also gives government the opportunity to gear the Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Skills Bootcamps towards areas of critical shortages, where the absence of training investment would increase the need for immigration. This was a key ask of the CBI response to the National Skills Fund consultation.

To feedback on the Levelling Up white paper, please speak to Hannah Richmond in the CBI thriving regions team.