Industry reaction to Skills England report & Apprenticeship Levy reforms
Posted by: electime 27th September 2024
Griff Thomas, MD for GTEC & Heatly, both part of the United Living Group
We’re ready to support the UK’s ‘green’ skill transition
Skills England’s first report makes for exciting reading for anyone in the building services sector. The report highlights that the transition to net zero will affect around one in five UK jobs, with a specific shift from those currently working in ‘carbon intensive’ industries – plumbing and heating engineers are a prime example.
The need for skilled workers in ‘green’ jobs is centre stage, with a new ‘Office for Clean Energy Jobs’ set-up to focus on ensuring we have the workforce ready to deliver net zero targets.
Training is required from the bottom-up, as outlined in apprenticeship reforms also released yesterday, which will hopefully provide more flexibility to both learners and employers, with shorter apprenticeship programmes identified as one of the areas being introduced. As the Skills England report highlights, employee investment in training has been in steady decline over the last decade so it’s clear that greater incentives are needed to change this situation. I hope this ‘flexibility’ extends to all types of training.
At GTEC, we are ready to support the government in these ambitions, with our existing renewable upskill qualifications and the many new courses in development – for building services and associated sectors. The creation of updated qualifications to meet energy efficiency retrofit targets, for example, was mentioned as a specific need within the construction sector, something we are working on alongside our majority shareholders, United Living Group.
I look forward to seeing Skills England’s plans come to fruition and the benefits to our economy, vocational training systems and net zero ambitions that these hopefully will bring.
Paul Smith, MD for NIBE
The message is clear, training will help us take the step away from fossil fuels
The government’s Skills England report puts the ‘green’ economy front and centre, highlighting the urgent need for more workers and the opportunities presented by the path the net zero.
Music to NIBE’s ears is the repeated mention of heat pumps and renewables in general, and the requirement to upskill existing workers to realise the benefits of a low carbon future (as well as bringing many more into the sector, as outlined in the reformed Apprenticeship Levy, also released yesterday).
Training is at the heart of this report, something that we are passionate about, providing product specific and industry-recognised qualifications through the NIBE Akademi. I hope that the important role manufacturers have in supporting the ‘green’ skill transition is recognised. ‘Life-long learning’ is mentioned as a key area under review – as industry leaders in our areas of expertise, manufacturers are essential to ensuring workers on the ground keep-up with the pace of technological change throughout their careers. All our product training is free to Level 3 qualified heat pump installers and we are an approved Heat Training Grant provider. Installers who undertake their Level 3 heat pump qualification with us can claim the cost back when they install NIBE heat pumps.
Skills have floundered in the UK for some time with a lack of employer investment and, in our sector specifically, a reticence to take the step away from fossil fuels. I hope that this report marks the start of more stable, standardised and focussed approach to meeting the UK’s skill requirements, an exciting chapter in our economic and environmental fortunes.
Mark Krull, Director of Logic4training & LCL Awards:
Training for all is key to prosperity and growth
The proposed direction of Apprenticeship Levy reforms look promising; a more flexible approach will hopefully encourage more SMEs to engage with apprenticeships and support future skills capacity. Apprenticeships remain one of the best ways to cost-effectively grow a business, while offering apprentices unrivalled on-the-ground experience that just can’t be taught in a classroom.
In the future, I would like to see every employee and sole trader have access to financial support towards training, independent of the employer they work for. As is stated in the Skills England report also released yesterday, small businesses and the self-employed make up a huge proportion of the construction sector and are therefore absolutely crucial to the UK economy and the transition to a low carbon future – a key area of growth (and skill shortage).
Apart from upskilling themselves, sole traders should have greater encouragement to take on their own apprentices, to improve prosperity and boost skills across the board.
Overall, this report is another clear indication that the Labour government is focussed on a green and prosperous future for the UK. Let’s hope recommendations turn to action.
