I was reading Balancing act: Youth apprenticeships and the case for a flexible skills levy a report produced by the CIPD along with the Young Futures Foundation. The report identifies how the AL has been under supported, underused and why reform is required.

The three key recommendations are:

• A Flexible Skills and Training Levy: A broader levy allowing funds to be used for various forms of accredited training with at least 50% ringfenced for apprenticeships for young people.
• An Enhanced Framework: A strengthened policy framework to address skills gaps, supported by social partnerships and sector bodies to better forecast and meet skills needs.
• A Comprehensive Industrial Strategy: A focus on on job quality, skills investment, and productivity across all sectors.

The first two can, and will be discussed, at length. Understanding which training is required and how it is accredited might take years. Similarly, a policy framework to understand skills requirements across a range of sectors will take a lot of time.

The last point is the one which interests me most. An industrial strategy will have a clear impact and outcome focus which should be measurable through GDP. The lack of a formal industrial strategy in the UK – the last one was in 2017 – seems obvious right now. Similarly, an increase in investment in skills seems especially relevant; we are at a critical point in terms of workplace skills and the opportunity to reshape the support won’t be as healthy for some time. Lastly, there is a need to encourage employer investment in training. Using AL funds as investment shifts them from being an unused ‘tax’, to a catalyst for business growth.

The key shift for me, as I have said for ages, is to move the management of the AL away from the DfE and to the Dept for Business and Trade.

Apprenticeships and skills development in work are business issues more than educational themes.