The sector is also important with nearly 9% of employees working in education roles. Although education isn’t one of the eight growth driving sectors identified in the Industrial Strategy, its importance to the economy is set out. The Industrial Strategy outlines that ‘in an era of rapid technological change, as new skills come to the fore and automation and AI fundamentally transform the nature of work, the strength and depth of the UK’s skills pipeline, beginning with early years and school right up to the technology awareness of senior managers, will be critical for attracting globally mobile investment and transforming businesses.’ The strategy notes that the system currently isn’t working for everyone and that there have been falls in areas such as adult education and employer investment in training per worker. The strategy also highlights a decline in apprenticeships ‘with numbers falling by almost a fifth between 2016/17 and 2023/24. 10% of businesses report at least one skills shortage vacancy’.
The strategy sets out the role of devolved areas in addressing skills shortages locally and in creating a talent pipeline for crucial occupations, aligning to the growth sectors ‘from our work experience schemes and apprenticeships to our Higher Education and Further Education sectors, to our network of Jobcentres – which provide employment support to millions of people.’ There is a commitment to providing sufficient courses and pathways to training relevant to the growth sectors as well as ensuring ‘that funding is provided to address the challenges of recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers in Further Education, especially for courses covering skills in shortage in priority sectors.’
There is also a commitment to improving the estate and facilities needed to deliver quality training, expanding Technical Excellence Colleges, rolling out shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships and introducing short courses through the Growth and Skills Levy in areas such as digital, AI and engineering. In Higher Education, the Strategic Priorities Grant will be targeted towards priority provision, supporting future skills needs and the Industrial Strategy and from 2027 the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will be launched supporting training against growth sectors through funds such as the Adult Skills Fund coupled with those such as Skills Bootcamps, Sector Based Work Academies and Free Courses of Jobs. This illustrates the range of opportunities now and in the future for the sector and its importance to the wider economy.
Skills England have outlined the importance of the skills system and LSIP to supporting economic growth, noting that ‘addressing the skills challenges outlined in the skills needs assessments will be critical to securing the future workforce in priority sectors. Skills England will work closely with employers to help improve alignment between skills demand and supply’ and ‘ LSIP and the designated Employer Representative Bodies (ERBs) that develop them, provide a key source of employer intelligence to Skills England. Skills England will oversee the development of future rounds of LSIPs, including engaging with ERBs and Strategic Authorities (in areas where they exist), setting the parameters for LSIPs’ content via statutory guidance, and approving the plans on behalf of the Secretary of State’.
As with other sectors, technological advancements have had an impact on education. Factors such as online and virtual learning have helped to overcome teacher and tutor shortages, bring in experts as well as having a wider reach. It has also assisted in areas such as marking, lesson planning and administrative tasks. The government has produced a report Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education – GOV.UK which acknowledges the opportunities presented by AI but also some of the challenges such as data protection, biased or out of date content and unsafe content. They note that ‘safety should be the top priority when using AI in an education setting.’
