A report published by City & Guilds urges the Government to give regional economies in the UK more autonomy over skills and employment, noting the disparate effects COVID-19 has had on specific regions.
A new report by City & Guilds states that the Government must act imminently in giving regional economies greater power over skills and employment. It states that increased devolution is the only way that the differing priorities and challenges faced by regional economies can be resolved.
The report outlines the significant impact of COVID-19 on the general economy with a 121 per cent increase in job seekers from March 2020 to August 2020. In addition, specific sectors have also been hit overall – most significantly, accommodation and food services and arts, entertainment and recreation.
The research also highlights common struggles that the labour market faces including unemployment due to COVID-19, skills shortages, the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the impact of age on unemployment, with those over 50 who are unemployed being twice as likely to be out of work for a year or longer.
Undertaking regional roadshows in the East of England, Liverpool, Manchester, North of England and West Yorkshire in the autumn 2020, City & Guilds cite many important insights.
This research stressed the need for the Government to be more aware of the challenges faced on a regional level and be mindful of this when creating central policy. Additionally, leaders called for more devolutionary powers which would allow them to take responsibility for employment and training in their region, implementing a tailored approach.
The report further highlighted the need for more consultation on national policies which affect regional areas as leaders around the UK stated that some policy did not always translate well. An example cited was the Government’s Kickstart Scheme which many small, local businesses could not commit to due to the minimum number of young people that they were required to take on to be eligible.
City & Guilds has outlined key areas which the Government must consider in order to improve the outlook for regional locations:
- Taking learning to people – The report calls for this to be flexible and appeal to adult learners (i.e. by being online, offering career mentors, new training locations)
- The creation of employment and training hubs in areas of high unemployment – This would provide advice and guidance, push people straight into employment where possible or offer them opportunities to upskill/retrain
- Open up funding to include any type of skills-based learning that leans towards a job
- Support further business and individual investment in training
- More investment in careers advice for all ages – This should be region specific and contain advice on what skills and learning are needed to access certain job roles
- Push ahead with regional devolution agenda
Kirstie Donnelly, CEO of City & Guilds Group said:
We spent the summer talking to local Governments and employers across the UK to understand what they need to help the unemployed back into work after the hammer blow of Covid19. The message that came back loud and clear was we can’t apply a ‘one size fits all’ approach if we want to successfully support people back into jobs. The challenges and solutions were often different in each area and Mayoral teams felt that they were not always enabled to act quickly and effectively enough with local solutions.
In addition, much of the announced Government skills support is simply happening too late, we need urgent action and the immediate release of earmarked skills funding to help people retrain and reskill into new jobs.
As we look to building a much needed post Covid19 recovery, we need to champion locally led solutions via a national network of Employment and Training Hubs. These localised and digitally enabled hubs would provide a ‘Shop Window for Skills’, making employment pathways more visible and accessible, and ultimately provide a platform which brings together local jobseekers, employers and training opportunities.
*This research was taken from the City & Guilds Group’s ‘Act Now’ report, published in November 2020.
Monica Sharma is an English Literature graduate from the University of Warwick. As Editor for HRreview, her particular interests in HR include issues concerning diversity, employment law and wellbeing in the workplace. Alongside this, she has written for student publications in both England and Canada. Monica has also presented her academic work concerning the relationship between legal systems, sexual harassment and racism at a university conference at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
