How can the UK improve adult training and job placement to aid the post-COVID recovery of its workers and the economy?

An International Public Policy Observatory on COVID-19 and Economics Observatory joint roundtable.

Skill levels remain low in the UK compared to other advanced nations. About 30% of adults have low skill levels in literacy and/or numeracy, putting the UK as 12th out of 29 OECD countries (OECD,2019). Furthermore, the pandemic has accelerated some of the pressures already faced by most of the world related to rapid changes to labour markets, jobs and skills demands, through an even faster investment in automation in 2020 and big shifts in the shape of the economy. This is likely to mean even more pressure on many workers to re-train, and even more need for tools to help people navigate the new-look labour market. In the UK, Brexit will also create further changes in the distribution of economic activity.

During this session we will focus on all elements of adult training (and re-training), from apprenticeship schemes to retraining programmes for older workers, across the public and private sectors. We will consider evidence of new initiatives and what is working around the world, considering questions such as:

• Have countries used lockdown to improve the skills of their furloughed workers?

• What role has been played by public provision, incentives and subsidies?

• How could initiatives used by other countries translate to UK policy at a national, regional and local level?

This roundtable will form an important component of building this understanding, through bringing together decision-makers and research experts to take stock of what’s happening, lessons to be learned from elsewhere around the world, and relevant evidence. We then hope to develop a policy roadmap for more effective training and employment systems to help people navigate the post-COVID era, and support economic recovery from the pandemic.

Adult training to aid post-COVID recovery of UK's workers and the economy