Skills key to beating crisis

Retraining must be funded

THE HAMMER blow delivered to our region’s economy by Covid- 19 has already resulted in a grievous tally of job losses and there is the grim prospect of more to come.

Add to that the continuing uncertainty over the effects of Brexit at the end of the year – especially given the current stand- off in negotiations between the Government and the EU with the accompanying threat of a no- deal departure – and the outlook is deeply concerning.

The perils which lie ahead are underlined by today’s report from the CBI warning that nine out of 10 workers will require new skills by 2030 if the economy is to recover and thrive, and that will come at the cost of £ 13bn in retraining.

Failure to invest in skills will hit poor areas hardest, says the CBI, which is of particular concern to Yorkshire, with its pockets of deprivation and underachievement as a result of historic failures by successive Governments to spend enough on both education and training.

New skills and better training that result in more opportunities are undoubtedly the way ahead for our region.

There is consensus amongst business and political leaders on that, and today’s plan by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership to reshape the area’s economy is further evidence of the shared determination to surmount the current crisis and emerge from it stronger.

The need to do so is apparent from the figures. In the LEP’s area, unemployment has risen by 25 per cent and the number of those claiming universal credit has jumped by 148 per cent.

Once again, Yorkshire must present a united front in pressing the Government for immediate action to stave off the worst effects of the economic storm engulfing the region. That means investing in retraining and new skills, however much it costs.