The case that employers in the UK invest too little in the training and development of their new and existing employers is established.
In 2022, the Learning and Work Institute reported that the amount employers invest in training per employee had fallen by 28% since 2005 and that UK employers only invest half the EU average per worker (Raising the Bar Increasing Employer Investment in Skills, 2022).
Prior to the pandemic in 2019, DfE noted that, ‘higher technical education uptake is low in England. Only 10% of adults aged 18-65 hold a Level 4-5 qualification as their highest, compared to around 20% of adults in Germany and as much as 34% in Canada’ (Higher Technical Education: the current system and case for change, 2019).
If we are to increase employer demand for higher technical education, we must address the following issues.
