From now until 2030 Government and policymakers will need to be equipped to harness and turbocharge skills, productivity, and the economy, given the massive challenges coming from Net Zero, AI and demographic changes. Our ‘Mind the Gaps’ event aims to explore these challenges and targets for upskilling, reskilling and new types of jobs and employment. Speakers include:

Liz Bromley, CEO of the Newcastle College Group

Associate Professor Deirdre Hughes OBE, former chair of the National Careers Council and UK & European Careers Policy Adviser

Kate Shoesmith, Deputy CEO at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation;

Olly Newton, Executive Director of the Edge Foundation

Professor Graeme Atherton, Director of the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON).

Janet Lord, Faculty head of Education at Manchestrer Metropolitan University

This event will be chaired by Gordon Marsden, former Shadow Minister for Higher and Further Education and Skills, and a co-founder of Right to Learn.

This event is crucial to examining how the key issues in skills and employment can be addressed as we approach the TUC Congress and after that the political parties conference season after which they will be producing their manifestos for the General Election.

Issues addressed by the speakers will include:

How can older people who have left the labour market or are economically inactive be enabled to return and reskill?

How can those on universal credit - whether in work or looking for new skills or jobs- be far better supported locally?

How adequate is current information, advice and guidance for people of all ages - but especially for those post 24 years and older learners?

Will the Lifelong Learning Entitlement unlock solutions to the skills and employment challenges in England engaging further and higher education in this effort?

What more can be done - in the context of a ‘Right to Learn’ - to prioritise programmes to. reduce the number of young people who are NEETs (not in education, employment or training) currently stuck around 800,000 and to help the 5-6 million people lacking basic skills?

How do skills and employment challenges and their solutions differ across the four nations of the UK?

The Right2Learn campaign takes its inspiration from the 2019 Lifelong Learning Commission which called for everyone to have a statutory right to learn whatever their age or background. Our aim is to show how important properly funded lifelong learning is to the life chances of millions.

Mind the gaps – Skills, the economy, new jobs and life chances