THE UK Government has been urged to increase investment in tech apprenticeships.
This is in order to prevent the UK losing its leading edge in the sector and falling behind competing nations in its post-COVID economic recovery. Entrepreneur, businessman and apprenticeship industry leader, Lawrence Barton, who is also a Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands, has urged the Government to inject £750 million of cash a year to provide more routes to young school leavers. The money will help retrain leavers as technologists, programmers and in other essential roles to help plug the growing gap in apprenticeship starts between SMEs and larger employers.
Changes introduced in 2017/18 to apprenticeship funding have seen numbers rise among larger employers.
While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who provide the lion’s share of new jobs, have cut their staff training budgets by 10 per cent.
This includes industries critical to the British economy, such as technology.
As a result, the number of apprenticeship starts in these industries has remained far below the level recorded before the funding changes were introduced.
“... the technology and digital sector is a great British success story and will undoubtedly be called upon to play a central part in driving the country’s economic growth as it recovers from one of the greatest economic slumps in its history.” Lawrence Barton
Mr Barton describes the figures as “alarming”.
Adding that “the technology and digital sector is a great British success story and will undoubtedly be called upon to play a central part in driving the country’s economic growth as it recovers from one of the greatest economic slumps in its history.”
“Without the right skills and expertise”, he added “the industry’s performance will be severely impaired.”
“The skills stimulus will also play a vital role in stemming the surging tide in youth unemployment”, he argues.
