Feature

Where there’s a skill, there’s a way

If you’ve been reading my column for a while, you’ll know that if there are two things I love talking about, they’re bridging the manufacturing skills gap and a nice, juicy Make UK report. So, despite still laboriously making my way through my Easter egg stash (it’s a hard life), when I found out there was a new Industrial Strategy Skills Commission report, it felt like Christmas had come early.

02/05/2025 16:15:23

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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

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.