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The Industry and Regulators Committee has launched an inquiry into skills policy. This investigation is particularly focused on apprenticeships and training, which contribute to shaping the skillset necessary to the future prosperity of the UK economy.

Your input on this matter will play an important role in shaping the committees understanding and recommendations.

Please share your thoughts on the following:

• What kinds of skills do you think will be needed for the future of the UK economy? Is the UK’s skills and training system capable of equipping increasing numbers of people with these skills?
• Is it clear to everyone involved in the skills system what the respective roles of the Government, employers, individuals and institutions are within that system?
• What is the appropriate level of government intervention in the development of skills policies? How can government best add value in this area?
• Are current Government policies on skills, particularly apprenticeships and training, sufficiently clear? Have policies and the institutional set-up been sufficiently consistent over time? If not, what changes or reforms would you recommend?
• Are the right institutions in place to ensure an effective skills system for the future? Should co-ordinating institutions be national, regional or sectoral, or a mixture of each?
• Concerns have been raised over the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy, particularly in relation to the decline in young people taking on apprenticeships. Is there a case for reforming the levy, for example by ring-fencing more levy funding for training for younger apprentices?
• What should the role of business be in encouraging the development of skills in the UK? Should business be a consumer, funder, trainer or co-designer of skills provision?
• In a more mobile, flexible labour market, what incentives do employers have to provide training for their employees? Why do you think that employer investment in training has declined in recent decades?
• Should further incentives be put in place to reverse the decline in employer investment in training, and if so, what form should these incentives take?
• What incentives do individuals have to involve themselves in apprenticeships and training? Is the system available and attractive enough to encourage individuals to seek training, and if not, what can be done to improve this?
• How does the UK’s approach to skills and training compare to those of other countries? Are there examples of good practice that the UK should be learning from?

Please share your input by the 17th May 2024 to cyrena.lafronte@theihe.org so that we can contribute to the discussion and influence future policy decisions.