‘Overwhelming’ need for coherent skills strategy

Energy & Utility Skills has called for a joined-up skills strategy across the whole of the UK to help people who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus lockdown get back into work.

The organisation was responding to a pledge by Boris Johnson in yesterday’s daily briefing (3 June) to take an “activist and interventionist” approach to dealing with the fallout of the pandemic, guaranteeing apprenticeships all young people.

The group said one of the first things the prime minister will need to do to follow through on his promise will be to address the “disjointed” skills regime in the UK, under which the main labour market policies around tax, productivity and immigration remain centralised, whilst skills policies have been devolved.

“Currently, all four nations have totally different and often opposing regimes for apprenticeships and funding,” it stated. “Under the policy regimes, an apprentice graduating in England is not recognised as such in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and vice versa.”

Energy and Utility Skills chief executive Nick Ellins said: “Last night’s statement by the prime minister is welcome and recognises a UK labour market that has transitioned from ‘full employment’ and significant sectoral skills gaps just a few weeks ago, to potentially seeing a large number of highly talented and diverse workers becoming available.

“Managing that UK impact in the most efficient, cost effective and humane way, requires one coherent approach, and one labour market and workforce strategy that the four nations’ governments own and work towards.

“It is incumbent on us all to work together to make sure that all those impacted find new careers and salaries with the many employers desperately seeking skilled workers with the right attitudes and behaviours. The utility sector stands ready to help”.

The organisation also emphasised utilities’ prior success in creating apprenticeships and emphasised that the sector has a far greater need for retraining.

“Apprenticeships are one vital part for helping all age groups into work, but the larger need and biggest opportunity set out by employers is for reskilling and retraining,” said Ellins.

“It is time to look again at emerging initiatives such as the National Skills Fund and National Retraining Scheme so that they can be repurposed.

“To do so, would allow governments to help ensure that the UK’s most critical industries can be the first to access the human capital that is inevitably becoming available, and quickly be helped to give the skills and competencies required to move them into their vital workforces.”