We will create a simpler and better skills training system that works for everyoneJennifer Coupland talks about IfATE’s plans, set out in their new Simpler Skills System report , to take employer-led skills training to the next level so it engages with the disengaged and supports businesses and people from all backgrounds to maximise their potential.Our country faces big challenges. A simpler, world-class skills training system can and will do a lot to help solve them.The cost-of-living crisis is still making life tough for working people, and the public and private sectors are finding it hard to source the right skills to recover and thrive.AI is evolving quicker than the government can write white papers about it… and we need a workforce ready to capitalise on green technologies in the global transition to net zero.It’s all putting a premium on businesses nurturing and growing their own talent.WE NEED A SUPERB SKILLS SYSTEMThey need a superb skills system to do that and we have made great strides towards achieving this through a decade of employer-led reforms.Engaged businesses now agree that the quality of apprenticeships and technical education is better than ever before – because employers shape it to match their skills needs. This, in turn, benefits learners who can feel confident they are learning what businesses really need and value.But the challenge is with the disengaged. Most employers still don’t employ apprentices or trust and use wider skills training to fill their skills gaps. Many businesses and learners also still find it too difficult to find and sign up for the right courses.IfATE’s new Simpler Skills System report sets out how we plan to build from the quality gains so far to make sure everyone sees the benefits.THE BIG CONVERSATIONThe background to all this is the Big Conversation we ran last year with over 2,000 employers and skills users.The idea was to get a better understanding of the barriers faced in accessing skills training, and how we could encourage the step change in productivity and social mobility that we all know apprenticeships and technical qualifications could achieve.Respondents told us loud and clear that the skills system is still too complex. And too many disengaged businesses remain unconvinced that what’s on offer is universally high quality.Our plan addresses all that. At its heart is our commitment to maintain a stable base of employer-made standards, informed by big data, employer intelligence and local conditions. This means upholding quality to foster long-term public confidence, streamlining what’s on offer and how employers shape that, and making sure that flexible training can be developed rapidly to meet fast-changing needs.Our occupational maps must also form the basis of simpler and better skills guidance across schools, colleges and everyone else involved with helping people make the right choices. These maps have been updated so they’re easy to use on mobile phones and tablets and now provide up to date workforce and career-planning information, including salaries and green jobs. The data and digital architecture is freely available for partners including UCAS to use, so wherever users get their information, it should be up to date, consistent, and easy to engage with.IfATE has further committed to capitalising on our oversight role, so we unite with partners across the system to ensure coherence, strengthen quality, and improve outcomes.And we know that when businesses are aware that apprenticeships and technical qualifications were created by employers, they have more confidence and are more likely to participate in the skills system. 90% believe that employer involvement leads to more valuable qualifications for the workforce.EMPLOYERS ARE AT THE HEART OF TECHNICAL EDUCATIONThat’s why we have committed, through the report, to making it much clearer that employers are at the heart of technical education. This will help raise awareness, participation, and flip skills...