Mark Farrar responds to news that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson will lead on skills brief

Mark Farrar has given the following statement in response to the news that Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is to lead on the skills brief:

“Following on from the Prime Minister’s statement that it is ‘vital we invest in further education and skills’, it’s good to see that the skills agenda is going to sit right at the top of the DfE house with Gavin Williamson assuming personal responsibility in this area. Hopefully, given the size and nature of his overall brief as Education Secretary, skills will be one of his top priorities and receive the required time and attention. We can also hope the necessary funding commitments will follow, targeted at improving adult education alongside apprenticeship needs.

“The UK’s skills needs ultimately extend well beyond the scope of apprenticeships, and there are various requirements across different sectors of the economy. As such, AAT believes the Apprenticeship Levy should be extended – renamed as the Skills Levy, and allowing Levy monies to be spent on traineeships and other forms of high quality training, benefitting individuals, employers and the economy. We also believe that a Skills Levy would be more appropriate than the Apprenticeship Levy to help meet the needs of Britain’s 5.7 million small businesses, who are vital to our economic success.”