The government has released the Building our Industrial Strategy Green Paper (external link), reaffirming its commitment to apprenticeships and creating “a proper system of technical education”. The Green Paper seeks to outline how the system will help the half of young people who do not take A-levels or go to university, and “those parts of the country where more people take a technical track”.
New plans outlined by the government include:
- Establishing a new Institutes of Technology to deliver high quality STEM provision and meet local employer demands.
- Increasing the quality of STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) provision.
- Creating 15 “technical routes” which match the needs of the labour market, available for 16-19 year olds as two-year courses. Working with FE providers to get “industry specialists” involved in delivering the new courses and encouraging FE colleges to be “centres of excellence” for math’s and English education.
- Reviewing careers advice in schools and publishing a “comprehensive strategy later this year for careers information, advice and guidance”.