Pupils urged to learn trades in factories to address skills shortage
Pupils should be sent into factories during the school day to learn a trade to ease the skills shortage, a top business boss says, reports BritPanorama.
Entrepreneur Jo Bamford has called for partnerships across the UK to facilitate a transition from school to blue-collar jobs. His remarks come in light of nearly one million 16-24 year-olds currently not engaged in education, training, or employment as welfare costs in the country rise.
Bamford, the owner of Wrightbus, made the intervention following the announcement that a £45 million fund for zero-emission buses in Scotland was awarded to a Chinese company. He criticized this decision, suggesting it is short-sighted and obstructs efforts to enhance skills in local economies reliant on substantial manufacturing.
“You’ve got to remember a huge amount of what I do, which is manufacturing, doesn’t happen in fancy, big cities. It happens in tertiary towns where it’s the mainstay of those towns,” Bamford remarked. He advocates for a system where schools link directly with factories to foster skilled labour supply.
Research conducted on behalf of Barclays earlier this year revealed that 76 per cent of business leaders believe challenges in hiring skilled workers are negatively impacting their business growth. Furthermore, 41 per cent have expressed intentions to invest in staff training and development within the next year to combat this issue.
Nearly 20 per cent of business executives identified access to skilled labour as a primary challenge, underscoring the urgency of Bamford’s proposals. According to the same research, 29 per cent of leaders indicated that support for skills and workforce development would be the most effective means of securing investment for their firms.
Bamford, who purchased Wrightbus out of bankruptcy in 2019, has a vested interest in education and skills training through the JCB Academy in Rocester, Staffordshire. This institution serves 700 pupils, blending classroom learning with practical skills, including welding. He noted the importance of equipping students with abilities relevant to local job markets.
“Schools were throwing out people to drive computers, but weren’t actually preparing students for the jobs in the local area,” he said, highlighting a notable disconnect between education outputs and local industry needs.
Additionally, Bamford called on Sir Keir Starmer to include more business figures in government to enhance the UK’s subdued growth outlook. In response, a government spokesperson reaffirmed its commitment to creating more opportunities for young people. The spokesperson noted recent gatherings of industry leaders aimed at improving connections between the youth and the manufacturing sector, as well as the introduction of a £2.5 billion youth employment support package.
This is further supported by a review conducted by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, focusing on the barriers young people face in the job market.
The dialogue around integrating education with industry highlights a crucial demand for skilled labour that, if addressed, could have significant implications for the UK’s economic future.
The approach to vocational education appears to be an essential step in aligning skills training with the needs of the economy, reflecting a broader strategy towards practical solutions for employment challenges.
