Civils contractors today welcomed the introduction of the UK Government’s planned education reforms and said that they must target industry demand if they are to deliver a promised “skills and training revolution.”
The Skills and post-16 Education Bill is to be introduced to Parliament today, and will be aimed at creating more routes into skilled employment in sectors the economy relies upon, such as engineering.
Commenting, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Alasdair Reisner said: “The UK Government’s desire to ‘level-up’ all parts of the UK must be based on a wide-ranging and targeted strategy for skills and post-16 education.
“Today’s Bill aims at embedding employers at the heart of the skills system by making it a legal requirement that employers and colleges collaborate to develop skills plans, so that the training on offer meets the needs of local areas.
“In the infrastructure sector we have a clear pipeline of work, and hence can predict the skills industry will need in the coming years to deliver the schemes that businesses and communities rely upon.
“And yet our industry has faced a persistent skills gap in all parts of the UK for many years.
“We welcome the UK Government’s stated aim of ensuring employers are central to the development of its skills agenda, and look forward to working with our members to ensure that the right skills are delivered to enable the infrastructure sector to build back better.”
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