2 September 2023
Recently revised economic figures show the British economy is now 0.6% bigger than pre-Covid, and is not an outlier in terms of pandemic growth impact having actually grown more compared to pre-pandemic levels than Germany, France and Japan. Not only that since 2010 UK growth has continued to outperform these three countries.
The Chancellor is absolutely right to now focus on the future, and I am looking forward to the Autumn to hear more about how the Government plans to grow the economy by focusing on our strengths in high growth sectors - technology, life sciences, clean energy, creative industries and advanced manufacturing.
One area I would like to see a bigger focus on is investment in technical skills, which will not only help deliver a high skilled, high wage economy but will boost productivity and help our economic growth.
The Prime Minister’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee is a good step forward. It will provide adults in England without an A-Level or equivalent the opportunity to take up a free, fully funded college course. Alongside this, the Government is also making higher education loans more flexible, allowing people to space out their study across their lifetimes and take more high-quality vocational courses.
Coupled with the Plan for Jobs which includes the new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to give young people the best possible chance of securing employment, significant cash incentives for businesses to support people into work, tripling the number of places available through Sector-Based Work Academies and giving young people who have just left school the skills they need to find work in high-value sectors such as engineering, construction and social care – are all crucial steps in building a high skilled workforce.
I am personally excited about the growth of apprenticeships as a real alternative to university. Since 2010 more than 5.4 million apprenticeships have been delivered giving people the skills they need for the workplace and to help grow the economy. I am personally looking forward to the expansion of UCAS services to include apprenticeships in 2024 which will put them on an equal footing to undergraduate degrees and help students make the best decisions for their futures.
It is good to see the introduction of T-Levels by the Government which are a new technical qualification for young people to gain the skills they need for employment. They are a high-quality technical alternative to A Levels, combining classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement. Now there are plans to expand T-Levels as well as introduce more traineeships, new Institutes of Technology and updating our college estates.
Michael Gove’s introduction of the Phonics Screening Check in 2012 to ensure every 6-year-old was on track with their reading, together with the Government’s relentless focus on it has seen England sour to fourth internationally for primary reading proficiency in the highly anticipated Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results. This is an amazing achievement and the Prime Minister is right to now focus on levelling up Maths to ensure every young person has the maths skills they need to succeed.
Productivity and a weakness in availability of technical skills has been a long-running drag on our economy. These measures gives us the prospect to boost both economic growth and individual opportunity- but we must make sure they are available to everyone across the country.
