Boris Johnson presented plans for a “radical change” in the country’s education system. (File)
London:
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday presented plans for a “radical change” in the country’s education system by offering free college-level courses to benefit those affected by the adverse effects of the coronavirus lockdown.
Referring to the various programs put in place by his chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to try to address job losses in various industries during the pandemic, Johnson said classes would be a way for people to requalify and retrain. in order to apply for different jobs.
“We are imagining ever more imaginative ways to safeguard jobs and livelihoods, including the winter economy plan, announced last week by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor. Alas, as Rishi said, we cannot save all the jobs, ”he said in a speech. its “Lifetime Skills Guarantee” plan.
“But what we can do is give everyone, give people the skills to find and create new and better jobs … As part of our Lifetime Skills Guarantee, we will now fund adult technical courses equivalent to A-level, all of which teach skills in high demand, ”he said.
The British Prime Minister, who was speaking at Exeter College in Devon in south-west England, said the pandemic had “massively accelerated” changes in the world of work and made training gaps “painfully” painful apparent “.
Therefore, funding changes were needed to help end the “false distinction” between academic and practical learning. Funding for courses offering ‘skills valued by employers’ will be available from April 2021, with the full list of free courses to be announced next month. Further details on the educational strategy will be presented in a white paper later this year.
“We are short of skilled construction workers, skilled mechanics and skilled engineers, and we are short of hundreds of thousands of computer experts. And it’s not like the market doesn’t demand these skills. The market will pay a lot ”. he said.
“The problem is one of supply – and somehow our post-18 education system is not working in a way that equips people with these skills,” he said, indicating that ‘a “significant proportion” of laboratory technicians came from abroad.
“We have to face the fact – that at a time when we need them so badly there is a shortage of trained laboratory technicians in the UK,” he lamented.
The government is also planning to ease loans for higher education, with the aim of allowing people to ‘space’ their learning throughout their lives rather than in blocks of three or four years, which will allow more time. ‘part-time studies.
“We’re going to change the funding model so that it’s just as easy to get a student loan to do one year of electrical engineering at a FE college (continuing education) – or two years of electrical engineering – as it is for the get a loan to do a three-year degree in politics, philosophy and economics, ”Johnson said.
“For the moment, many young people feel that they should opt for the diploma option. They feel they only get one chance to study and borrow. They might as well go for the maximum and get a degree.
Under our plans, you can get a one-year technical qualification and get started in life – or you can do that and then go to college later. You have the choice, ”he added.
As part of these plans, small businesses will be offered financial incentives to hire apprentices and funds will be pumped into the expansion of so-called ‘digital boot camps’ – where people can learn computer skills, based on successful pilots in Manchester and Birmingham.
The opposition Labor Party said the government’s plans would not reverse the impact of a “decade of cuts” on the finances of the education system.
“A week ago Labor called for a national recycling strategy geared to the crisis facing Britain, but what the government is proposing is simply a mix of old heated policies and funding that does not will only be available in April, “said Kate, shadow secretary for education. Green.
