Pre-Budget Report - Short Summary of Impact on Skills, Training
and Semta Footprint (UK)
Summary
Training funding / Employer Support
- Refocusing Train to Gain to provide support in
pre-redundancy situations, expanding the Rapid Response
Service to target small and large scale redundancies and extending
Local Employment Partnerships to focus on the short-term
unemployed. Extending Train to Gain programmes to provide training
and support to individuals in pre-redundancy situations will enable
them to develop the skills needed to move seamlessly into a new
job, either in their existing sector or in a new one.
- DIUS will match their ESF money with a further £79
million through Train to Gain, to increase resources for Next Steps
advice services, and to provide a more tailored and flexible
training offer, working with regional and local
partners.
- Promise that the government will route further resources
from within existing budgets through Train to Gain and
Apprenticeships in future years if individual and employer
demand allows.
- Launch of a National Employment
Partnership, including over 20 Chief Executives from
across British business as well as the public sector. The
Prime Minister will chair the Partnership’s discussions of how
employers will support the Government’s efforts to help the rapid
re-employment of people facing redundancy.
- In letting contracts for construction
projects, government departments and their agencies will
now consider, on a case-by-case basis, making it a requirement that
successful contractors have apprentices as an
identified proportion of their workforce. The government will
ensure that its contracts remain accessible to small businesses.
Therefore, before creating such a requirement, procurers will
consider the likely effect on small businesses. In addition, the
government will consider whether there is scope to build on this
approach in other sectors, including IT.
- The government wants city-regions to be able
to take a coordinated approach to their skills needs and will
encourage and support the development of sector productivity and
progression pilots. These will operate at a local level, building
on multi-area agreements and employer-led Employment and Skills
Boards to test how the provision of sector coordinated training and
business support services can boost productivity and help create
higher-value job opportunities.
Capital spending
- 3 billion in capital spending brought forward, including
construction and infrastructure for transport, housing, etc.
- Another part of the commitment to bring capital spending
forward, means the government will invest £535 million more quickly
on energy efficiency, rail transport and environmental
protection. They have already invested in better heating and
insulation for homes, better flood defences and 200 new
trains.
Economic Forecasts
- Inflation predicted to fall to 0.5% by the end of 2009
- A fall in output predicted for the first two quarters of
2009
- 1.5 - 2% growth predicted from 2010
To note
Use of the phrase 'green-collar jobs' to describe the increasing
employment of people in industries relating to environmental
sustainability.
Semta View
Semta will be working with the Train
to Gain service to ensure our Compact offer reflects the changes
proposed. We will also be working with regional bodies to
help them operate coherent skills policies, which reflect the needs
of science and engineering companies throughout the changing
economic situation. We will continue to lobby government for
appropriate funding for apprenticeships of all ages, and responsive
training for existing employees.
25 November 2008
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