Anne Milton: Training for the job of closing skills gap

This week, I am thrilled to announce that young people in Yorkshire will be among the first to take T Levels – a new technical qualification, on a par with A-levels. Eight colleges and further education providers in Yorkshire will lead the way in teaching T Levels from 2020, including York College, Barnsley College, Shipley College and Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education.

T Levels will offer students the chance to study a rigorous course backed by a high-quality work placement in their chosen field. The first T Levels offered will be in construction, digital and education and childcare.

However, a stubborn myth persists that the only route to success is through university. This is simply not true. I have seen many times that a high-quality technical education and high-quality apprenticeships, where you learn and earn, can lead to fulfilling and exciting careers.

In a recent visit to York, I met a group of agricultural apprentices whose experiences underlined for me the positive impact a high-quality technical education provide. These young people were more confident, excited and incredibly enthusiastic about their prospects and the career that lay ahead.

However too many young people who don’t take the A-level and university path find that their options on leaving school are limited. While colleges offer thousands of courses in many different fields, too many of these qualifications are of poor quality and not respected or understood by businesses.

What sets T Levels apart is that they are being developed in partnership with some of this country’s top employers, including Rolls Royce, Amazon, Fujitsu, Lloyds Bank, Morgan Sindall and Skanska to name a few. Businesses know the skills they need in their companies so they will be at the forefront of designing the content of the courses.

Students will have fantastic opportunities to undertake high-quality work placements as part of their courses. These will give them the chance to put into practice the technical skills they have learned in the classroom.

The Government is putting £500m a year behind T Levels, once they are up and running. This is in addition to our investment in high quality apprenticeships that make sure all apprentices are given the time to train.

Alongside T Levels and the introduction of more high-quality apprenticeships, the Government is creating a network of prestigious Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the country. IoTs will offer top-quality training and apprenticeships in higher-level technical skills – A-level equivalent up to degree level and above – helping to bridge a vital skills gap in our economy in areas like advanced manufacturing, infrastructure and digital.

The Government took another step towards establishing IoTs this week by announcing the proposals that will now move to the final stage of the Government’s competition – this includes proposals from York College for Yorkshire and Humber. These significant investments in technical education form part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which sets out a long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK.

Yorkshire, as part of the Northern Powerhouse, is leading the way in many new industry sectors: more than 35 per cent of the UK’s GDP in pharmaceuticals is manufactured here; Yorkshire boasts the National Renewable Energy Centre; there are 1,500 software and tech companies that employ up to 15,000 people.

There are more opportunities here than ever before for people who have the right skills and ambition.

T Levels will be instrumental in delivering the skilled workforce that Yorkshire’s employers are crying out for. The colleges offering these qualifications will play a vital role in helping the area’s young people fulfil their potential.

Other areas including London, the East Midlands, the South East and South West will also be rolling out T Levels.

I am extremely proud of these new qualifications and excited by the potential they offer for so many young people. Not only will they be better off as a result, but so will Yorkshire and that can only be good for Britain.

Anne Milton is a Conservative MP and the Skills Minister.