The government has launched two skills consultations that were originally highlighted in the Skills White Paper published in January.

One consultation focuses on the development of the National Skills Fund and the other consultation is looking at reforms to FE funding and accountability. The TUC will be submitting responses to both consultations and drawing on the input of all our affiliated unions.

There will also be an opportunity for trade unions to feed in their views via online feedback sessions that will take place in August. The relevant sessions for unions include event 3 (11 August) focused on meeting the skills needs of individuals or event 4 (10 August) that is open to all stakeholders. We would encourage unions to participate in one of these sessions to highlight the positive impact of union learning and the need for policies and programmes to boost learning and skills opportunities for many more people.

In the press release the government  also announced an expansion of its Skills Bootcamps training programme and revealed which areas will be "trailblazers" for piloting the new Local Skills Improvement Plans. More detail on all these policy developments are available in unionlearn’s regular skills policy newsletters.

Commenting on the announcement, Kevin Rowan, Head of Organisation, Services and Skills at the TUC, said:

The government must understand that we are facing a national skills crisis and that there is a need for urgent action on a much greater scale than the policy framework set out in the white paper.

While employers in every sector are concerned about major skill shortages, many workers are facing unemployment in the coming weeks and months. The government needs to act now to boost funding and launch new skills entitlements to empower people to upskill, reskill and retrain to take advantage of available employment opportunities.

A strategic approach along these lines could be delivered at pace by a National Skills Taskforce that brings together the expertise and hands-on knowledge of employers, unions and other key stakeholders along with government.”