AELP welcomes Prime Minister Andy Burnham and urges pragmatic approach to skills agenda to tackle economic growth and the youth unemployment crisis

The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) has welcomed Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister today and called on his Government to place skills, apprenticeships and technical education at the heart of its plans to revive economic growth and tackle the growing crisis of more than one million young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

AELP said the appointment offers an opportunity to refresh the country’s approach to skills, but warned that success will depend on delivering practical reforms that energise and empower employers and providers rather than creating additional bureaucracy. In particular devolution offers huge opportunities, but must be ‘done right’.

AELP said the new Government should prioritise measures that expand employer demand for apprenticeships, remove barriers preventing young people from accessing opportunities and create a skills system that is locally responsive while remaining nationally coherent.

The organisation has consistently argued that tackling the youth unemployment crisis requires practical reforms, including fully funding apprenticeships for young people, increasing support for small employers, strengthening employer engagement and ensuring funding follows learners and employers.

AELP also urged the new Prime Minister to create a roadmap for the successful devolution of skills policy across England. AELP will publish its own Devolution Manifesto later this week, setting out its recommendations for the next phase of skills devolution. The proposals are designed to combine stronger local decision-making with a nationally consistent skills system that supports employers, learners and economic growth.

Ben Rowland, Chief Executive of AELP, said:

“We welcome Andy Burnham on becoming Prime Minister and wish him every success in one of the most challenging jobs in the country. Britain faces significant economic and social challenges. We have stubbornly weak productivity and tepid economic growth alongside an unacceptable reality that more than one million young people are now outside education, employment or training.

“The good news is that the Prime Minister has consistently recognised the importance of skills and that should give us reason for optimism. But the question now is how that is translated into action. As the Government develops its plans for further devolution, we hope it will work with providers and employers to create a system that is locally responsive while remaining nationally coherent. Devolution should simplify the skills landscape, not add further layers of bureaucracy.

“Skills policy should not sit on the sidelines of government. It should be central to the country’s economic strategy. If ministers are serious about increasing productivity, energising and supporting businesses to grow and give young people better opportunities, then investment of imagination as well as resources in apprenticeships, technical education and high-quality training providers must become a national priority.

“Our members are ready to play their part. Every day they help employers recruit the skilled workforce they need and support learners of all ages to realise their potential. With the right policy framework, they can do even more to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, boost economic growth and help deliver the Prime Minister’s ambitions for the country.”