Monday 17 April 2023

The London Assembly has called on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to provide further modular training provision for Londoners following recommendations made by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on the Mayor’s Adult Education Budget (AEB).

In evidence presented to the London Assembly’s Economy Committee, LCCI argued that reforms needed to be focused on a tailor-made approach that would make modular training more widely available to London businesses. Module-based training provision can make it easier for learners to fit training around work and other responsibilities, as well as being more responsive to employers’ needs.

London is facing an acute skills crisis. As per LCCI’s latest skills survey, 69% of London businesses are experiencing severe skills shortages. The biggest barrier reported by all London firms was insufficient support for investment in workforce training (27%), followed closely by ‘a lack of suitably skilled candidates in the job market’. (24%).

James Watkins, Head of Policy and Public Impact at London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said,

“What London needs now is an innovative and flexible approach to address the skills crisis. We desperately need a skills system that works for businesses and learners alike and for this we need to develop agile training programmes.

London businesses are crying out for further modular training programmes. This will provide flexibility to both employers and the employees which from the learners’ perspective, means they can be empowered in their career options going forward while also addressing the immediate needs of the businesses.

We welcome the decision of the Mayor of London and the Government to work together with the Local Skills Improvement Plan to address London’s severe skills shortages.”

London is global leader in entrepreneurialism. The AEB must empower individuals to set up their own businesses by providing adequate enterprise training and support.

Alongside modular training programmes, LCCI called for greater integration of adult training provision into the research and development work which takes place in the capital. In particular, consideration should be given as to how to link more effectively the training of people for a range of technical skills to the Government’s Innovate UK agency.

Notes:

• The London Assembly Economy Committee’s letter to the Mayor on the Adult Education Budget can be found here.
• LCCI’s submission of evidence to the London Assembly Economy Committee can be read here. This letter includes findings from the study commissioned by the LCCI and conducted by Savanta ComRes on skills and training needs of London businesses.
• To read LCCI’s latest quarterly skills survey report, please click here.