Mr Reynolds mentioned: “All good businesses know that their workforce is their greatest asset. Labour will give firms the flexibility they need to train staff and make sure our businesses can grow.
“Labour’s plan to unlock the skills and talents of British workers in partnership with business will help workers improve their skills and ensure businesses can develop. It’s clear only Labour has a plan to address the skills shortages we face and get our economy back on track.”
ONS survey figures counsel 9.1% of companies have needed to pause a few of their actions during the last 12 months due to a scarcity of staff.
Labour estimates this might have affected roughly 500,000 companies, based mostly on the full variety of corporations working within the UK.
It additionally estimates that 47.7% of companies surveyed by the ONS are in want of staff skilled in expertise they’re at the moment unable to get, with guide expertise, superior digital expertise, and customer support expertise amongst these in demand.
Labour has promised to provide companies extra flexibility to deal with the abilities and workforce shortages.
The opposition social gathering plans to widen entry to funding from the Government’s apprenticeship levy, which companies can use to put money into coaching for his or her staff.
Labour would rework the levy into what it calls a progress and expertise levy, which may permit staff entry to a greater diversity of coaching programs, together with digital expertise, with the intention to assist companies meet their wants.
Education minister Robert Halfon , whose temporary contains apprenticeships, mentioned: “Labour’s policy will halve the amount of funding going to apprenticeships, stripping young people of new skills and stopping them from reaching their full potential.
“The Resolution Foundation confirmed Labour’s policy is ‘not a good idea’, with small and medium-sized businesses set to be hammered most by their cuts to skills funding.
“Meanwhile, we have delivered almost 5.5 million apprenticeships since 2010, introduced our lifetime skills guarantee, and are investing an extra £3.8 billion in skills training. Over 90% of apprenticeships who complete go on to good jobs or additional education.”
