The nitty-gritty
Launched late last year, the Industrial Strategy Skills Commission brought together leading minds from across education, training and industry to diagnose exactly what’s gone wrong with our skills system. And after months of evidence-gathering, the Commission has finally delivered its final verdict.
Over the last quarter of a century, adult qualifications have plummeted by 70 percent. Workplace training days? Down nearly 20 percent since 2011. Employers? Spending 27 percent less on training. Public funding? Slashed by a third. And to top it all off, apprenticeship starts have collapsed by a jaw-dropping 42 percent since the Apprenticeship Levy came in. It's no surprise, then, that we’re staring at 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies and £6 billion in lost output – every year.
Read the full article in DPA's May 2025 issue