FREE college courses, digital bootcamps and flexible training loans announced in Boris Johnson’s “lifetime skills guarantee” yesterday (Tuesday, September 29) have been welcomed by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Chamber, says improving adult skills will be vital to workers’ individual and economic wellbeing for a post-Covid economy.
In his speech, the Prime Minister committed to giving young adults up to 23 without A levels the chance to take free college courses, extended to all ages for courses deemed to be valued by employers, plus a new entitlement to flexible loans to allow courses to be taken in segments. He also said he would extend Digital Bootcamps, invest in FE colleges and expand the take up of apprenticeships.
Louise said: “A commitment to ongoing skills training would be welcome at any time but now, more than ever, individuals and businesses are going to need to be flexible in what they require as we look to rebuild the economy when we are through the worst of the crisis.
“Individuals will need new skills to access the jobs that are going to be available and it’s vital for the economy that we have a workforce that is ready to meet the challenges ahead.
“The types of jobs available was already going through massive change as the world has become more digital over the past few years and the current crisis has accelerated some of that change.
“The Chamber has been calling for adult skills training to be in step with those changes and, while the devil is always in the detail, this looks like a move in the right direction.”
