The Chancellor has chosen to invest £500m in technical education, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves that the new ‘T-levels’ will help get the UK match fit for Brexit, or prepare the UK for the 4th industrial revolution.
For a start, the funding may only kick in after we have left the EU, as it starts at the end of the two-year period triggered by Article 50. Therefore, it won’t help us prepare in advance for the unpredictable impact of more restrictive migration policies and changed trading relationships.
Moreover, while £500m by 2022 is a significant investment, the UK will still only be spending the same amount on vocational education as it did 25 years ago. This is despite the major challenges we now face – Brexit, and the potential impact of automation on the workforce, which could force changes to as many as 1 in 3 jobs in the UK.
Finally, two thirds of the workforce in 2030 have already left full-time education, so as Britain forges its new role in the world, a more immediate challenge is needed to prepare those already in work for the changes to come.
Our international competitors are racing ahead: Germany plans to guarantee workers a right to lifelong learning and introduce personal work accounts allowing people to invest in skills enhancements throughout their lives.
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