Skills gap between North and the rest ‘is widening’

THE WIDENING skills gap between the North and the rest of England is a major concern for national productivity, according to a report published today by a leading think-tank.

Analysis by IPPR North says government funding for adult skills is being cut by half between 2010/11 and 2020/21, creating a serious challenge for many further education colleges and providers.

Its report, Skills for the North, says employer expenditure on training has declined by 13.6 per cent since 2007

And it said the North was being hit hardest by the trend, with the apprenticeship levy on UK employers to fund new apprenticeships stimulating the most training in London and the South-East. The report said the number of people with a NVQ 4+ qualification, equivalent to anything above A-level, is 31.7 per cent in the North and 37.9 per cent in England as a whole.

It calls on Government to devolve more powers and budgets for skills to local business leaders in Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) as part of the new industrial strategy.

The report also calls on Northern leaders to “create a new body to co-ordinate efforts to address these growing concerns and put pressure on government to reverse funding cuts”.

Senior research fellow at IPPR North Anna Round said: “We welcome the new approach to technical education in the Skills Plan. But a centralised adult education system isn’t working and the time has come for a more devolved approach to stop the North falling further behind.”

A Government spokesperson said it was “committed to creating the well-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future”. It said the apprenticeship levy “provides a real opportunity to tackle the skills shortages”.