Incentive grants for apprenticeships extended by six months
Incentive grants for apprenticeships will rise to £3,000, with £126m allocated for traineeships.
“The government has been clear that investment in infrastructure, skills, and innovation are key priorities, and the recently announced £126m boost for traineeships is to be clearly welcomed,” said Adrian Overall, CEO, CloudStratex.
“Yet the Chancellor needs to pay specific attention to the fact that we are in the midst of a new era, which is characterised by astonishing advances in technology that are redefining how we live in the 21st Century. While tech is eliminating the need for some jobs, it is also creating a whole sleugh of new technical and digital specialisms that are essential for the UK’s future competitiveness.
“Unfortunately, 11.7 million people lack even the essential digital skills” needed just for day-to-day life online, according to Ipsos MORI. This is of great concern to UK plc and clearly needs to be addressed if we are to turbocharge Britain 2.0.
“That means specifically prioritising the uptake of digital skills by encouraging people from all backgrounds and age groups to pursue tech careers: a good place to start is by addressing the acute shortage of STEM subject teachers. We also need to place greater emphasis on ensuring equity in education.
“Finally, we must ensure students are committing to STEM subjects at an advance level. For example, 50% of girls take GCSE physics, yet only 22% of A level physics entrants are female. Figures such as this must change if we are to ensure a genuinely fair society.”