Education announcements from the Government - BALI response

Last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer  announced the creation of Skills England, one strand of the Government’s strategy of addressing the skills gap. The aim of Skills England is to reduce the country's reliance on foreign labour and to enhance domestic skills training.  
 
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also outlined the Government's commitment to a comprehensive skills agenda, designed to review and ensure that training provisions are aligned with the needs of the economy. It is hoped that this will bring together central and local government, businesses, trade unions and training providers to address the nation’s skills gap that currently accounts for 36% of current job vacancies in the UK.  
 
BALI’s member businesses tell us that they still find it difficult to find skilled workers in their businesses, and so the Association welcomes the Government’s announcement of the launch of Skills England and its commitment to meet skills needs across all regions. 
 
It is essential that the Government understands what the demand for varying skills are around the country and recognises the different needs at a regional level. This will allow skills funding and delivery to be flexible so that it can address local needs. The Association looks forward to seeing more details about how the Government will devolve skills funding to city Mayors and the regions.   
 
The Association also welcomes the commitment to review the apprenticeship levy, to allow businesses to access funding for training that addresses identified skills needs in addition to apprenticeships. 
 
Plans to create specialised Technical Excellence Colleges are also welcomed, but the Association stresses that colleges which make the move to specialisation would need assurances about future funding and resourcing should future policies move away from specialist routes.  
 
Wayne Grills, BALI Chief Executive said:

"We are delighted with the new Government’s commitment to skills. The creation of Skills England and the development of a strategy for post-16 education are important steps in unlocking the growth of the economy and our member businesses. The Association looks forward to working closely with industry partners, Skills England, and Government, at a national and local level, to help support the development of a competent and skilled workforce."

The Association supports the wider initiatives discussed in the recent debate on Education and Opportunity. In particular, the announcement of a pause on post-16 education defunding is welcome. The Association had been concerned that the process would have meant the loss of funding for vocational courses highly valued by industry. The announced pause should allow a more considered review, minimising disruption and ensuring equitable opportunities for all students. The Association welcomes the commitment to a more holistic approach to education, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has the support they need to thrive.  
 
More generally, the focus on increasing funding for under-resourced schools, promoting STEM education, and supporting mental health services in schools are all critical steps forward to ensuring better opportunities and care for young people across the UK.  

In her recent statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, the Chancellor announced that the Advanced British Standard (ABS), which had been proposed to replace T Levels, would be scrapped as part of the Government cost saving measures. In doing so, the Government will save an estimated £3 billion by 2028/29. 

The Association has been supportive of many of the proposals contained in the ABS plans but understands the economic arguments for deciding not to go ahead with the planned reform. However, the issues that face the 16-19 education landscape remain and we hope that Government will find other ways to address these.  In particular, the challenge of addressing the disparity in the values attached to academic and vocational training remains and UK students still lag behind their contemporaries in other major economies in the number of teaching hours that they receive. 

We know from our training provider members how difficult it is for them to recruit staff. While the decision by Government to accept the recommendation for a 5.5% pay rise for schoolteachers will be welcomed by many, the Association is disappointed that this recommendation will not be extended to college Tutors. 

With the landscape and horticulture sector vital to assist the government with delivering its environmental commitments on carbon zero and biodiversity, taking steps to support our industry to address the growing skills gap and providing further entry routes for new entrants will have long term benefits for the UK. The Association will work with the Government, industry bodies, businesses and training providers, to help realise these commitments.