7 minute read
Skills
Tackling skills shortages can boost economy
Recently Amazon took the unusual step of announcing a multi-million-pound training programme to upskill staff who are looking to leave the company to explore a new career.
Up to 5,000 new staff will be offered training as part of Amazon’s Career Choice programme, where the company pays course fees for its employees who’ve expressed an interest in pursuing a career outside of the company – something that’s designed to boost the skills and employability of British workers.
The move comes after a major new report called for a root and branch reform of the UK’s training system to help businesses access the skills they need to boost industry productivity – and help get the UK economy back on track after the COVID pandemic. The report from the Workplace Training and Development Commission (WTDC), which was established by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Indeed, identifies solutions to a series of obstacles for employers in using the current skills system, including issues of complexity, cost and inflexibility. It provides a series of recommendations including:
• help for smaller firms to identify and invest in the skills needs of their workforce
• more bite-sized, flexible learning which supports people in work to gain new skills faster
• a greater say for businesses on what type of skills training is needed at the local level • better support for people to retrain and move into higher earning roles • a renewed focus on digital skills and innovation
All of this is important in the context of the COVID pandemic, which has seen businesses lay off or furlough staff in their thousands. Those who’ve been affected have had plenty of time to mull over their options. Some have launched a new business venture; others have decided to embark on a new career.
The problem for many of those in the latter camp is that they don’t have the skills to break into their chosen line of work – a point hinted at by Jane Boardman, chair of the WTDC. She said: “The problem of skills shortages has long hampered the UK economy, leaving employers struggling to fill job vacancies and raise productivity. The workplace is rapidly becoming more digital and automated, so businesses need more people with the technical skills for these changing jobs. But too often employers cannot access the training they need and, as a result, are s pending less and less on training each year. “The impact of the pandemic has made investing in adult skills more important than ever. Employers need a more joined-up and flexible system that can respond quickly to skills needs and opportunities. “The last year has seen the economy placed under the greatest strain it has experienced in decades and the full impact on employment and growth has yet to be seen. As businesses rebuild and respond to the challenges ahead, a more agile skills training system will be crucial.” The UK government is trying to build a more agile training system through its Lifetime Skills Guarantee, which will give every adult access to a flexible loan for higher-level education and training at university or college, useable at any point in their lives. This will build on the extensive action already underway to revolutionise the skills and training offer across the country, including the introduction of new T-level courses and access to free, job-relevant “bootcamp” courses. It has been increasingly acknowledged that colleges and universities have a major role to play in upskilling the nation’s workforce – and colleges in south east London are doing just that. Lewisham College has launched a range of new courses for jobseekers to help those who have been affected by COVID-19 or who are looking to upskill and improve their career. The college welcomes thousands of adult learners from the area every year. It has a reputation for producing knowledgeable, successful students with great employment potential. The new courses are offered to those who are currently unemployed and looking for work and have been designed to help develop employability skills and support adults to upskill and gain new qualifications. Each course includes essential skills for the career path that jobseekers are interested in, such as finance, digital, business administration and English and mathematics. The programme also helps jobseekers find job vacancies with the college’s employer partners and using job boards, CV writing, job applications and interview techniques. Lewisham College also offers a range of qualifications aimed at specific sectors, including construction, adult care, catering and security. These popular sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs) are designed and delivered in partnership with employers such as the civil service, Caremark and Greggs, which are looking to hire the right people to help bridge the skills gap in their organisation whilst expanding and diversifying their workforce. Each sector-based work academy provides adults with the opportunity to develop a range of employability skills whilst building confidence, enhancing their CV and understanding the application process by undertaking mock interviews and practice tests.
To find out more about these new courses in Lewisham, visit the college’s website at www.lewisham.ac.uk/employability. Continued overleaf >>
Croydon College, Coulsdon Sixth Form
College and Croydon University Centre are also offering courses that will get young people on the career ladder and help employers upskill their staff.
At Croydon College, students can study a wide range of vocational courses as well as apprenticeships. Public services courses are proving popular and sports courses – levels 1 & 2, gym instructing level 2 and sports and exercise science – offer something for those looking to start a career in improving lifestyles, while there are also ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses for those aged 16-18.
There are new courses at Coulsdon Sixth Form College too, including an A-Level in accountancy – the only course of its kind in the local area. It allows students to develop quantitative data analysis and interpretation skills and has an emphasis on management accounting, giving students the confidence to communicate information to non-accountants and future clients. For those looking to step into higher education, there’s still time to apply to study at Croydon University Centre. For those interested in entering a career as an education professional in an early years setting, the early childhood studies degree will give those studying the skills and qualifications needed to get into it, and for those looking to shape the future of older children there’s a level 5 diploma in teaching & education. The University Centre is also a provider of higher national certificates (HNCs) and new for 2021 is the engineering course, providing participants with a thorough grounding in engineering principles.
To help people choose the right course for them, the Croydon College group is running virtual weekly advice clinics to answer questions in one-to-one meetings from Wednesday July 21. The advice clinics are for all potential students and parents or carers considering applying for September 2021 across the further education, higher education and apprenticeship courses.
For more information visit https://croydon.ac.uk/course-finder/, https://coulsdon.ac.uk/courses/ and https://croydonuniversitycentre.ac.uk/courses/
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