Responding to the plans for additional skills funding, Claire Walker, Co-Executive Director at the BCC, said:

“We very much welcome any further funding that will provide people with the technical skills that businesses so desperately need.

“The Workplace Training and Development Commission, led by the BCC, has made it clear that considerable upskilling is needed to enable businesses across the country to grow and thrive.

“The pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for young people to get the training and preparation they need to hit the ground running in the world of work.

“Skills bootcamps, T-levels, and on-the-job traineeships are all sensible routes that will address the skills deficit and provide high quality pathways to rewarding careers across a wide range of industries.

“But solving the UK’s skills crisis will not happen overnight and will also require coordinated effort across business, government and the skills sector. Local Skills Improvement Plans, currently being piloted, offer a real opportunity to match business need and local training for the longer term.”