LGA responds to Skills for Jobs White Paper

LGA responds to Skills for Jobs White Paper

Commenting on a proposed Skills for Jobs White paper, aiming to reform post-16 education, Cllr Sir Richard Leese, Chair of the Local Government Association’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, stepping stones for people to increase their skills – be they life skills or skills to secure work with an employer or become self-employed. That requires a strong role for councils who know their communities best.”