Skills for Success: The Reforms Essential to Our Economic Future

A robust Industrial Strategy is central to the new government’s growth plan, however, multiple obstacles remain to deliver the UK’s economic and industrial success. Foremost among these is the ‘perfect storm’ facing the manufacturing workforce: Increased early retirement; an ageing workforce; and elevated occupational ill-health have hit our sector hard, alongside an alarming drop in the number of apprenticeship starts, down 42% since the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced seven years ago.

Make UK’s Industrial Strategy Skills Commission report proposes a series of immediate reforms needed fix the foundations of our apprenticeship system as well as a set of longer-term strategic objectives to build for the future and ensure we develop enough skills for the success necessary to support the industrial strategy and economic growth.