The Labour plan to boost skills training and drive economic growth in Crawley

Continuing the theme of National Apprenticeships Week, Labour has set out pans for boosting skills and drive economic growth across the UK, including right here in Crawley.

Data reveals that the Tories’ decade of decline in apprenticeships and training has left the country unprepared for the future, with apprenticeship starts over the last decade declining by 7% in Crawley. The reality is that Tories have failed to equip individuals and the economy with the skills to meet our national challenges including transition to net zero and rising demand for digital skills.

To reverse this downwards trend Labour will give businesses the flexibility they’re asking for to train their workforce and deliver growth. We will start by turning the Tories’ failed apprenticeships levy into a ‘Growth and Skills Levy’.

The Conservatives’ levy has seen millions of pounds that should be used for skills training going unspent, even as businesses report growing skills shortages. Giving businesses flexibility would ensure this money could be best on a greater range of training courses including basic English, maths and digital skills, so businesses can fill skills gaps and people can gain new skills to progress at work.

As part of a wider package of reform, Labour will establish a new taskforce, Skills England, to drive forward a national mission to deliver the skills needs of the next decade. This will be driven by pushing power and decisions on skills spending out from Westminster to local communities, so those communities can better match up skills training with their local business needs and grow local and regional economies.

Since Labour returned to control of Crawley Borough Council we have put jobs front-and-centre of our economic strategy, with our Jobs and Skills Plan delivering Employ Crawley, the Town Centre Skills Academy, the Crawley Young Workers Scheme, and Crawley Fusion Innovation Centre working towards creating new and better employment opportunities for our town. At the same time we’ve built apprenticeships into the council’s contracts and throughout its employment structure. We’ve done what we can on the ground, we now need a Labour Government in Westminster to keep moving things forward.