Covid: PM promises ‘radical’ shake-up of adult education

Boris Johnson has vowed “radical” changes to the education system in England to help boost the post-Covid economy.

The prime minister said the pandemic had “massively accelerated” changes to the world of work, and made training gaps “painfully apparent”.

He said funding changes could help end the “bogus distinction” between academic and practical learning.

Labour said the plans would not reverse the impact of “a decade of cuts”.

In a speech, Mr Johnson announced that adults in England without an A-level or equivalent qualification will be offered a fully funded college course.

Funding for courses offering “skills valued by employers” will be made available from next April.

The PM said the government cannot “save every job” amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but wants to help people find new work.

He added the changes would allow the country to “not just come through this crisis, but come back stronger”.

The announcement comes amid fears that unemployment is set to grow, as the economy slumps in the wake of the pandemic.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has said the unemployment rate could peak at between 9.7% to 13.2% in the next few years. The most recent rate – for May to July – is 4.1%.

The offer of courses to adults without an A-level will be paid for from England’s National Skills Fund, which the Conservatives pledged to boost by £2.5bn during last year’s general election.

A full list of available courses will be announced next month.

The PM’s speech comes as:

The number of people worldwide who have died from Covid-19 passes one million, researchers say, with many regions still reporting surging numbers of new infections.
It will be illegal from midnight for people in large parts of north-east England to mix with other households indoors, as part of tougher coronavirus restrictions announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.
Conservative backbenchers demanding votes in Parliament before any further coronavirus restrictions are introduced in England say they are hopeful an agreement can be reached with the government. Some MPs were invited to meet Matt Hancock on Tuesday, and said last night that progress was being made.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is due to make a statement in the House of Commons later as thousands of students have been told to self-isolate following a surge in cases at universities.
Retail union Usdaw says shop workers are being put at greater risk of violence, verbal abuse and coronavirus infection as a result of pubs shutting at 10pm.

Covid sharpens desire to improve skills
This shows how much the Covid outbreak has changed everything around it.

This plan to give further education students a fairer share of funding goes all the way back to a report from Theresa May’s time in office.

That was about tackling deep-rooted weaknesses in vocational education and reversing a lack of financial support.

But now – when this appears as a White Paper – expect it to be re-framed as a battle to retrain millions of adults whose jobs have been threatened by the pandemic.

Further education colleges will be put on the frontline of providing the type of modern skills that will be durable enough to withstand the changes that Covid-19 is making to the jobs market.

This could mean funding for digital skills, for instance, for those whose livelihoods are disappearing in retail.

With a winter of uncertainty about what happens next for many jobs – access to retraining for adults of all ages will be important as never before.