Today the Association of Colleges has published a new plan: Rebuild: A skills led recovery plan outlining recommendations to the Government to implement a skills-based recovery.
In this plan, the AoC is calling on government for another bold and necessary course of action to reduce the post post-furlough shock, minimise the risk of economic scarring, and prepare the country for the rebuild.
Read the full report and recommendations here: https://www.aoc.co.uk/rebuild-a-skills-led-recovery-plan
Key points
- Participation in education and training which is focused on job outcomes will be vital to delivering this plan.
- The four key challenges colleges are preparing to address:
- More young people (16 – 25) needing college places due to high unemployment and being crowded out of jobs;
- A large cohort of young people, particularly new college starters, needing support to ‘catch up’ in learning after several months of lockdown;
- Fewer apprenticeship places resulting in a large number of apprentice redundancies and a shortage of new places for aspiring apprentices; and
- Large numbers of adults requiring training to help them move from the sectors in most difficulties into those which might expand or recover more quickly, this may reach even greater numbers if furloughed workers then face redundancy.
Within its recommendations, the AoC call for the Government to:
- Enhance the Adult Education Budget together in one budget line with the National Retraining Scheme, the National Skills Fund, the Shared Prosperity Fund
- Urgently consider releasing a proportion of the National Skills Fund to support retraining and flexible learning at Levels 4/ 5 aimed at helping displaced adults to reskill and/or upskill in the short-term.
- Fully fund 24+ adults to undertake subsequent level three programmes or units in priority sectors to respond to post furlough unemployment
- Resource the single capital budget line; and invest in online delivery and infrastructure
Phil Chamberlain, Executive Director External Engagement at City Lit said: "We recognise the important call for sustained investment and we welcome this new plan by the Association of Colleges.
Once COVID-19 finally begins to subside and social interaction is once again possible, adult education providers have a unique contribution to make. There will be a need for safe and stimulating environments in which communities can once more come together to determine how to rebuild after the crisis and help support and combat loneliness. The lockdown is even encouraging people to develop new skills and perhaps even more fundamentally to re-evaluate their lives and interests.
As a result, we believe there will be an increased appetite and need for new learning and new ways of living, which the adult education sector and City Lit must play a crucial role. Reports like this, demanding action and investment, are crucial to ensuring skills development leads the way in our recovery. "
David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said: "COVID19 and its impact on the economy is like nothing we've seen before, and our response has to match that. We know most that it is young people and the disadvantaged who suffer most in recessions and that this can stay with them throughout their working lives.
Every community in the UK has a thriving college that works with hundreds of local employers to develop their workforce and anticipate their future needs. That makes colleges perfectly placed to offer education and training in what business needs and to ensure a strong pipeline of nurses and care workers, construction workers, engineers, designers and so much more.
Government was bold with its furlough scheme, we are asking for the same in education and training. Colleges are ready to create a flexible, high quality and properly funded training and education offer, which would make sure we have the best prepared young people and adults in the world, ready to rebuild."
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London said: "I welcome the Association of Colleges' call for a skills-led recovery. The wide-ranging effects of the Covid-19 pandemic mean we have to make sure the skills and employment system is able to give Londoners the education, retraining and support they need as the city starts to recover. I will continue to lobby Government for more funding for adult education and better coordination of employment and skills provision across the capital."
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