“In an attempt to respond to the challenges faced by employers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has put together a series of initiatives. The main focus of this first wave of support, and I suggest there are more to follow, has been to support young people aged between 16-24; the age group that has been disproportionately affected in terms of finding, or remaining, in employment. The support packages have focused on incentivising employers to engage in the various schemes such as Apprenticeships, Traineeships and Kickstart. Each scheme has a strong focus on training and increasing the employability of our young inexperienced members of society.
As someone who works in the training sector, and who has been shouting about the value of work-based training for a number of years, I very much welcome the government’s intentions to help support as many young people as possible. At HSDC, we have a strong Apprenticeship department that has worked with many employers across several sectors for the past decade, developing high quality Apprenticeships that work for both the employer and the apprentice. The age incentive payment for 16-18-year-old apprentices has been around for a number of years now, and with the addition of extending this to those aged over 19-years, there is now the added incentive for employers to engage even more in Apprenticeships. Beware though, this extension is only until 31 January 2021 so employers will need to make some quick decisions on recruitment.
In my opinion, the Kickstart scheme offers a real opportunity for employers and potential employees to “try before you buy”. The 6-month payment of salary for up to 25-hours per week, gives both parties the incentive to enter into this scheme. However, I feel it will only be of value if the Kickstarter is supported in the workplace in an Apprenticeship style support programme, which can include mentoring and coaching by skilled work-based assessors. For all employers that take up this opportunity, I urge you to contact your local high quality training provider to see what support packages they can give in terms of additional fully funded training and on-the-job support to help the Kickstarter into a period of transition into full employment. Rather selfishly, I hope many progress into Apprenticeships and therefore start to build on the skills developed over their initial 6-months which will ultimately lead onto a substantial career full of opportunities.
Lastly, whilst a focus on young people is absolutely essential, let us not forget that COVID-19 is going to have a sting in its tail for the older workforce. As the furlough scheme evolves and eventually ceases, there is an air of certainty this will lead to mass redundancies and therefore high levels of unemployment. I suggest it is no coincidence the government has recently announced that all adults without a Level 3 (A Level equivalent) qualification will be able to access a free college course from April 2021, at the same time that furlough is morphing. I fear the government has looked over the horizon and seen this is when the adult market is likely to be heavily affected and is starting to plan for incentives that will support this group. Further support packages have been announced, although details are still lacking. The Chancellor has put forward plans for £250m to help support those made redundant and there is a further £80m of funding for adults that is to be procured by training providers. As this funding is released, it will be the FE sector that responds and supports all those affected both in the short and long term. Because, whilst looking after the future of young people is essential, making sure the older workforce has a future is equally a must.”
– Aaron Butson, Director for Business Growth & Innovation