The plans include thousands of opportunities in professional services and construction, alongside further measures involving employers and training providers. Ministers say the commitments are intended to help young people who have struggled to enter employment, while supporting industries seeking workers with relevant skills.
Thousands of Apprenticeships and Construction Placements Planned Each Year
According to BirminghamLive, the DWP’s proposals include 22,400 new apprenticeships annually for people under 25 in professional and business services. A further 40,000 construction placements will be made available each year as part of the wider programme.
The commitments are being introduced through a series of Jobs Plans, bringing together government departments and industry representatives. They are designed to expand access to apprenticeships, practical training and vocational routes into employment.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the Government wanted to ensure that workers had the skills required by industries identified for growth under its industrial strategy. “Reindustrialising Britain means giving workers the skills they need to get good jobs in growing industries,” Reynolds said. He added that too many young people were being denied opportunities to begin their careers.
The Business Secretary said the Jobs Plans would bring government and industry together to address that problem, opening additional routes into skilled employment. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden also welcomed the commitments, saying young people had been excluded from employment opportunities for too long.
According to the same source, McFadden said the measures would create clearer pathways into apprenticeships, training and jobs, while supporting the Government’s Youth Guarantee. He also emphasised cooperation with employers, saying the Government was working to develop a skills system that responded to the needs of modern industry.
Skills England Backs New Training Routes As Further Sector Plans Approach
The proposals have also received support from Skills England, which is involved in efforts to align training provision with the needs of businesses and workers.
Phil Smith, chair of Skills England and a member of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, said apprenticeships and skills training would play a central role in helping young people enter employment across the sectors covered by the Jobs Plans.
According to BirminghamLive, Smith highlighted new foundation apprenticeships for people beginning their careers, alongside shorter apprenticeship units intended to help employees develop their skills after entering work.
He said cooperation between government, businesses and local areas reflected the approach being taken to ensure training met the needs of employers and the emerging workforce. The announcements mark the beginning of a week of Jobs Plans covering different areas of the economy.
Further plans for Digital and Technologies and Defence are expected to be published later this week, extending the Government’s programme beyond the professional services and construction opportunities already outlined. The DWP’s latest commitments therefore establish the initial annual figures for apprenticeships and placements, with additional sector-specific measures still to be announced.
