Employers will have a greater say in the development of skills training as part of reforms to post-16 technical education set out in a new White Paper, ‘Skills for jobs’.
Other measures – aimed at supporting people to develop the skills they need to get good jobs and improve national productivity – include a flexible, life-time skills guarantee, reforms to funding and accountability for providers, and support for outstanding teaching.
Cllr Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the LGA’s City Regions Board, said: “Further education (FE) institutions, working together with their local councils, have a vital role to play in levelling up the country and local communities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a growing unemployment crisis, and it is vital that we provide the right skills and training for young people and adults in our communities, to help support them into good long-term employment. It is right that the FE system should align to the needs of employers, and it is good that chambers of commerce will be part of that.
“It is also important for all parts of the FE system to work in partnership across a community, including with independent training providers and adult and community learning provision run by councils and others.
“Together, the FE system should offer routes to help local businesses fulfil their recruitment needs, and stepping stones for people to increase their skills – be they life skills or skills to secure work with an employer, or to become self-employed. That requires a strong role for councils who know their communities best.”