𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Employers need a bigger role in educating children to ensure youngsters learn skills needed to succeed in the workplace, according to a campaign backed by former Education Secretary David Blunkett. He called for action to end the scandal of almost a million young people with nothing to do. Official figures show 948,000 people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training.

A study also backed by former Tory education secretary Gillian Keegan and Liberal Democrat education spokesman Lord Storey called for an expansion of University Technical Colleges (UTCs), which are schools where local employers help deliver lessons to ensure children are trained for available jobs.

They supported a study by Policy Exchange which also called for University Technical College departments to be added to existing secondary schools.

In a joint foreword to the report, the three politicians said: “Businesses consistently report that a lack of access to skilled labour is impeding their growth, with the shortages particularly acute in sectors including construction, technology and healthcare.

“Skills England has estimated that in priority sectors alone, 900,000 more skilled workers will be needed by 2030. This shortage of skilled workers is holding back our economy and preventing our nation from addressing the greatest societal challenges, from energy security to the ageing population.

“These challenges will only grow as skills needs are rapidly evolving while the working age population is forecast to shrink.”

Employers help to deliver the curriculum in UTCs through special projects and work placements, and are actively involved in school governance. The school day is modelled on the world of work, with students trained on industry-standard equipment, a 30% longer school day on average, and school rules and standards based on workplace culture.

Zachary Marsh, Research Fellow in Education at Policy Exchange and author of the report, said: “UTCs provide a proven solution to the acute skills crisis which is crippling growth.”