Call for £ 4.2bn funding for skills and training in regions
A YORKSHIRE leader fears the life chances of a whole generation risk being damaged by the economic impact of the pandemic unless there is a radical change in attitude to skills and training.
Bradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said the “devastating” toll of Covid- 19 meant people “can see the economy transforming in front of our eyes, with whole industries and sectors being decimated”. The chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority was joined by other political leaders in the region in calling on the Government to create a new generation of jobs.
This followed the admission by Chancellor Rishi Sunak that many will not be able to return to the job they had pre- pandemic.
A new report by the Future-Ready Skills Commission, which is chaired by Coun Hinchcliffe, yesterday called for £ 4.2bn a year of funding for adult skills to be devolved to regions, to help the UK recover from Covid- 19.
She said: “Unless we can support people with skills and training in a way that fits with the reality on the ground where they live and work, we risk damaging the life chances of a whole generation.
“We need a radical change in attitude towards skills and training, enabling life- long learning, empowering people to take up their skills entitlements from school to retirement, and employers that value investing in their staff. As our report argues, the UK’s skills system has to be based on the needs of the people, businesses and local economies it is intended to serve if we are to build an economy that works for everyone.”
Meanwhile Bill Adams, the Yorkshire Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, welcomed the support provided by the Chancellor which he said “will provide a lifeline for many firms in Yorkshire with a viable future beyond the pandemic”.
But he said: “But there’s still unfinished business. Unworked hours under the scheme must not be wasted. Ministers must work with business and unions to offer high- quality retraining, so workers are prepared for the future economy.”
Julian Sturdy, Tory MP for York Outer, praised the “great array of forward- thinking proposals which address the new set of challenges we face together over the next few months”.