Lifetime Skills Guarantee
I wholeheartedly support the Prime Minister's announcement today. It ensures that Britain will have the skills it needs to bounce back from COVID.
Today in a major speech the Prime Minister has set out our plan to transform the provision of skills so that we can help people to retrain and find new, well-paid jobs as part of our agenda to Build Back Better. As a result of our changing economy and the impact of the pandemic, we are developing a long-term plan to ensure that, as the nature of work changes, people have the skills to find and create new and better jobs.
Some of the key takeaways from the announcement today are:
- Offering a free and fully-funded college course to adults without an A-level or equivalent qualification – providing them with skills valued by employers, and the opportunity to study at a time and location that suits them.
- Making higher education loans more flexible – allowing adults and young people to choose the length and type of course that is right for them.
- Investing £1.5 Billion in college buildings and facilities, helping to ensure colleges are excellent places for people to learn.
The Guarantee is being backed by some of Britain's biggest employers:
Microsoft said there are ‘no better investments in our future than the kinds of accessible, lifelong and flexible programmes that the Prime Minister has announced this morning’. ‘As a country we face multiple challenges, but we believe that learning unlocks opportunity. Today, more than ever, individuals, businesses and government must build the skills we need for tomorrow. Because if we fail to act now, the UK could easily be left behind in the global economy. There are no better investments in our future than the kinds of accessible, lifelong and flexible programmes that the Prime Minister has announced this morning’.
The CEO of Greene King welcomed the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee. ‘We welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of increased funding for skills and further education. As a business we are passionate about improving social mobility and developing the skills of the nation’s young people to ensure they are ready for work. That is why we invest heavily in apprenticeships, supporting over 12,500 since 2011’.