Theresa May’s visit to president Trump may have grabbed the headlines last week. But the publication of a green paper on the government’s industrial strategy was of real importance too. In fact the two are linked. Part of the UK’s post-Brexit plans are to increase trade with the rest of the world. The industrial strategy provides the government’s framework for trying to ensure a global Britain succeeds.

The good news is that skills are front and centre of these plans. The green paper identifies many of the right challenges. These include: poor basic skills; longstanding shortfalls in technical education; and the need for a greater focus on lifelong learning as longer working lives and technological change mean people will need to update their skills more often.

And the government has a lot of plans already in place too: £170 million for a new network of institutes of technology; implementation of the skills plan; investment in science and research; and the apprenticeship levy.

Trouble ahead?

The problem is that the latest data, also published last week, shows overall participation in learning has headed in the wrong direction. Almost 900,000 apprenticeships were started in 2015-16, meaning the government is on track for its target of 3 million by 2020.

This is welcome, but at the Learning and Work Institute we retain significant concerns about quality: we need world class apprenticeships in order that people and employers benefit. The latest people to share this concern are the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies, making the point that there’s no value in hitting a target if you ultimately miss the point.

And more action is needed to ensure everyone who can benefit from an apprenticeship is able to access one. Given this, it is disappointing that an otherwise strong new board of the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) does not have an actual apprentice on it (a planned apprentice panel is welcome, but should be in addition to a place on the board).

Beyond apprenticeships, the data is troubling. There are 800,000 fewer adults in further education compared to 2011-12. And 300,000 fewer adults learning English and maths - given there are 9 million adults with low literacy or numeracy and these basic skills are a core component of the industrial strategy, this should set alarm bells ringing.

Put simply, we need to increase investment and participation in learning by individuals and employers, as well as arguing for sufficient investment by the government. A country that works for everyone.

All told, we would argue that the powerful words of the industrial strategy need to be matched with greater action to increase participation in learning and skills. This matters not just for our future prosperity once we leave the European Union, but also to increasing opportunity so that everyone has the chance to make the most of their talents.

So what to do?

In other words, reversing the decline in participation in learning is central to both our future prosperity and to delivering the prime minister’s pledge to build a country that works for everyone. So what would it take to do better? Here’s some of the changes the Learning and Work Institute would like to see in the March budget and, later in the year, its full industrial strategy:

• £200 million extra investment in literacy, numeracy and digital for adults. We need higher investment given the scale of the scale of the challenge, but also new ways of engaging people and delivering learning.
• Commitment to social investment. We argue for continued investment in learning and employment support, devolved to cities and regions, once the UK leaves the EU and European Social Fund investment ends.
• Focus on quality and access in apprenticeships. The IfA should have the voice of learners hard wired throughout and set clear world class benchmarks and outcome measures.
• World class technical education. There have been many attempts to reform technical education over the years. The skills plan is this government’s chosen framework. It will only work if it is backed by investment, learns the lessons of history (such as ensuring Institutes of Technology are not Centres of Vocational Excellence by another name), and is a true partnership with employers.
• Innovation in lifelong learning. We need a learning revolution for the 21st century. We think that should include trialling Personal Learning Accounts, so that people, employers and the State can invest together, helping people adapt to and make the most of inevitable changes in the economy.

It feels like the learning and skills sector faces a moment in time. After years of cuts, it is front and centre in the national debate on future prosperity and opportunity. It’s essential we make the case for investment and innovation to back up the rhetoric with action. As a nation, we need to will the means as well as the ends.

Stephen Evans is chief executive of the Learning and Work Institute 

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