Apprenticeships: Relaxing maths and English rules welcomed by firms Politics Firms have welcomed the government’s plans to relax rules around maths and English requirements for apprentices as improving “flexibility and inclusivity”. Apprentices aged 19 and above will no longer be forced to complete English and maths functional skills qualifications in order to qualify, which the Department for Education (DfE) said would allow some 10,000 more [...]
Skills gap has ‘passed its peak’ but experts warn of a ‘hiring recession’ Economics This was the first time since 2014 that the number of firms suffering from a scarcity of well-qualified candidates declined.
Skills England launched with pledge to cut ‘over-reliance’ on migrant labour Politics Announcing the new body, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wanted to reduce firms' "over-reliance" on migrant workers.
Increasing recruitment difficulties spark business calls for national skills strategy July 16, 2024 The skills gap will likely constrain how far and how fast the next government can move on a number of issues, from housebuilding to AI.