Education Policy Briefing: January 2022

CBI responding to select committee inquiry on post-16 education

The CBI are currently submitting evidence to the Education Select Committee as part of their inquiry into the future of post-16 qualifications. The inquiry comes at an important time, with the Post-16 Education and Skills Bill making its way through parliament.

In our response, we argue that:

• 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, education must adapt to ensure young people remain prepared.
• Young people should be supported and enabled to build their skills throughout careers.

Once submitted, the CBI will continue to engage with MPs on reforms.

For more information, please contact Aaron.

CBI input to Skills and Post-16 Education Bill

Last month, the CBI submitted evidence to the Public Bill Committee considering the Skills Bill, arguing that:

• Removing funding barriers and ramping up flexibility will boost participation in lifelong learning
• A coherent place-based and coordinated national approach are both key to delivering the skills our economy needs.
• Reformed technical qualifications must remain in lockstep with employer demand and support more young people to progress.

The Committee made some positive changes to the Bill, including rejecting amendments imposing further restrictions on how businesses utilise apprenticeship levy funds. However, the Bill can still be strengthened, particularly in the support of lifelong learning. The CBI will continue to engage to ensure the needs of businesses, learners and the economy are being met.

For more information, please contact Aaron.

Last chance to shape Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) in your region

The CBI continues to work on LSIPs, assessing and helping to address the skills needs of business. After being piloted in eight regions, LSIPs will become law under the Skills Bill, acting as a key driver of what education and training further education providers deliver. You still have the opportunity to feed into plans in the following areas:

• CUMBRIA
• KENT
• LANCASHIRE
• SOUTH YORKSHIRE
• SUSSEX
• WEST OF ENGLAND

For any additional information, please contact Aaron.

What do the government’s latest Plan B measures mean for your organisation?

Before Christmas, the government introduced new COVID-19 measures, announcing that England has moved to Plan B in response to the increasing risk of the Omicron variant. These include changes to the rules on face coverings, working from home, and self-isolation. Education staff and university and college students are also being advised to take a self-test before returning from the Christmas break and continue to test themselves twice a week.

To feedback on challenges presented by new guidance and the impact on your organisation, please contact Ed. You can also feedback on the CBI’s recommendations to government for living with the variants.

Developing the skills of the workforce to adapt to Plan B

With the introduction of government’s Plan B, many organisations will now be defaulting back to work from home.

Our recent guide on developing skills to support hybrid working, provides advice to organisations who may be new to managing a hybrid model of work.

We are keen to hear from you about how you are developing the skillset of your managers and leaders to meet the challenges and opportunities presented.

We’re particularly keen to understand:

• The key skills you identified for successful hybrid working
• How you have adapted learning and development of hybrid workers
• The role of digital skills and remote communications in teams

Please contact Arjun to share how your business is adapting; or to find more about the support available.

In other news:

• We want to hear your insights and best practice on steps to address labour shortages. Please contact Katie for more details.
• Have your say on the CBI’s health and life science work by joining our Working Group. The group aims to ensure the UK remains an attractive place for health and life science companies to invest and do business. For more details, contact Jordan.
• Read how the CBI and its members seized the moment in 2021 in our year of impact.