Join the Skills Revolution

Sue Lovelock, Director Professional and Technical Education at Department for Education on how the Skills for Life initiative is supporting employers in their quest to upskill staff.

About 94% of today’s workforce lacks the full set of skills they’ll need to perform well in their jobs in 2030, according to a McKinsey report. However, 69% of SMEs in England are planning to invest in upskilling their workforce, according to the recent Skills Horizon barometer report from DfE, released as part of the Skills for Life ‘Join the Skills Revolution’ campaign. This suggests that UK businesses (SMEs) are aware of this challenge and have a strong willingness to address this.

From apprenticeships to T Levels, HTQs, Multiply numeracy courses and Skills Bootcamps, there are plenty of options available to employers looking to upskill their employees.

Demand to upskill

There is a demand and desire among businesses across England to invest in upskilling. As previously mentioned, many SMEs in England are planning to invest in upskilling their workforce. This figure rises to 77% in the technology sector, 75% in manufacturing and 74% in healthcare.

The reason behind this demand varies from business to business, but some general trends which may explain it include the rapid digital transformation many companies are undergoing, meaning that the primary skills they require are changing.

During the pandemic, businesses had to adapt swiftly, accelerating their use of technology to ensure operations could continue whilst working remotely. Our research data reflects this, with 43% of SMEs planning to invest in digital skills, becoming an increasing priority for many businesses across the country.

Employee satisfaction has become more complex with more investment in staff and future growth opportunities becoming a bigger selling point to job applicants. Providing upskilling opportunities has become an important indicator of showing value in your workforce.

Choosing the right options

There are a variety of training and employment schemes available to your business. These schemes can help to attract a range of talent and keep a steady pipeline of talent coming into the business.

All the schemes have their own unique benefits. However, it’s important to choose what will work best for your business. This will require evaluating things such as your current staffing situation, the long and short-term goals of the business and what skills are needed to help reach those goals.

One option is hosting T Level students on industry placement, for 45 days. Individuals undertaking T Levels contribute to the workforce that businesses need now and in the future, whilst young people get the technical experience they need.

Apprenticeships, for individuals over the age of 16, last for a minimum of 12 months. Apprentices don’t always have to be new recruits and may instead be existing employees, moulded to deliver the skills your business needs.

Alternatively, if instead your business wants to focus on upskilling staff in one particular area, then a Skills Bootcamp may be more appropriate. These are flexible training courses for those aged 19 and over to fast-track specialist skill development, for existing or new talent for your business. They take place over a shorter space of time but like apprenticeships still provide an opportunity for staff to master new skills.

Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are new and existing level 4 and 5 qualifications (such as HNCs, HNDs and Foundation Degrees) that suit both new recruits and existing employees. Taught at further education colleges, universities, or by independent training providers HTQs can be studied flexibly full or part-time to suit learners and employers.

HTQs in digital occupations are now being taught in a variety of subjects leading to careers such as network engineer, software developer and data analyst. From September 2023, new HTQs in construction and health and science will also be available.

Multiply numeracy courses are free numeracy initiatives, offers and courses from pre-entry to level 2 for those aged 19 and over in the workforce. Multiply allows employers to build the skills of their current or future employees with low numeracy skills, creating a talented workforce with improved numeracy skills.

Employer Benefits

Encouragingly, according to the Skills Horizon barometer, more than a quarter (27%) of SMEs in England are seeking to hire from broad education routes such as apprentices and T Levels students in 2023. The benefits of upskilling are vast for an employer.

From a day-to-day perspective, employees can feel empowered as they’re provided with more skills to help them thrive professionally and do their jobs to a better degree. It can also provide a sense of individual satisfaction, with employees feeling like they matter – thus increasing morale and productivity in a business (also highlighted in the Skills Horizon barometer report).

SMEs revealed the individuals they’re planning to take on in 2023 will benefit their business beyond the responsibilities of the role. For instance, 53% of Healthcare SMEs and 44% of Technology SMEs think additional staff will help upskill the existing workforce (by sharing skills and knowledge), 42% of those in Manufacturing say it will improve wider staff productivity and 41% of Construction SMEs say it will improve staff morale.

More broadly in an economic sense, there is a positive knock-on effect as businesses are able to function better and, plan into the long-term to build a thriving and productive business.

More information on the range of training and employment schemes – available to keep your business moving