Lord Sainsbury said: “We have a serious shortage of technicians in industry at a time when more than 400,000 16 to 24 year olds are unemployed. It is hard to believe that none of these young people have the ability and motivation to train as technicians if given good opportunities to do so.”
Responding, Skills Minister Nick Boles has published the ‘Post-16 skills plan’, accepting all of Lord Sainsbury’s recommendations.
“Britain has all the ingredients needed to compete with other skilled nations,” he said, “but we must create a technical education system that can harness that talent. This cannot be the government’s job alone; we must work with employers and post-16 providers to unlock the potential in this country.”
Under the reforms, students will be able to move easily between technical and academic options. Those who are not ready to start an academic or technical option at the age of 16 will be able to choose a specifically tailored, fully funded ‘transition year’ to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills needed to move forward in their education. These routes will also be available to adults wanting to get back into education.
Employer panel discussions, led by engineers and administered by the independent Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, will shape programmes of study as well as define the required skills and set out universally agreed standards for each of the 15 technical routes.
Commenting, EngineeringUK’s Chief Executive, Paul Jackson said: “It’s vital for the future health of the UK economy that young people in sufficient numbers develop the engineering skills that employers need. And it’s equally vital that the routes to developing these skills are student-centred, offering every young person the best possible opportunity to thrive in his/her chosen industry.
The Government’s response is reassuring and has now to be backed with the practical and financial support their implementation will require.”
