Beatrice Barleon, EngineeringUK Head of Public Affairs and Policy responds to the King's Speech
"We welcome the creation of Skills England and the strategic approach to identifying and meeting skills needs. We look forward to working with Skills England and other stakeholders on developing a comprehensive workforce and training plan for the engineering and technology, to ensure that the sector, and indeed the entire economy, can thrive with a highly trained and adaptable workforce.
"The ambition to ‘raise educational standards and break down barriers to opportunity’ is something we at EngineeringUK have been calling for. As the King outlined, the urgency of the climate challenge creates new job opportunities, many of them in engineering and technology. For young people to seize these opportunities we need an education system equipped to deliver for all. A focus on recruiting and retaining more STEM teachers alongside a modern curriculum will be key.
"It is good news that the government has committed to ensuring that the apprenticeship levy supports businesses to develop and upskill future and existing staff. A future growth & skills levy must focus on enabling more young people to gain access to entry-level apprenticeships. A greater pre-apprenticeship offer will help but the funding system must also lead to more opportunities for young people to access Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships. We look forward to working with the government to achieve this and deliver on their ‘youth guarantee’."
As the King outlined, the urgency of the climate challenge creates new job opportunities, many of them in engineering and technology. For young people to seize these opportunities we need an education system equipped to deliver for all.
— Beatrice Barleon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, EngineeringUK
