Westminster government announces radical skills reforms giving young people opportunity to develop skills in priority areas for the country
Young people are set to benefit from 120,000 new training opportunities as part of a ‘radical skills revolution’, giving them the chance to develop skills where they are most needed across the workforce to rebuild Britain.
More skilled brickies, carpenters and healthcare support workers will soon be trained up as the UK Government continues it’s drive to get Britain working, with landmark reforms announced today that refocus the skills landscape towards young, domestic talent.
The measures, backed by a record-breaking £3 billion apprenticeship budget, will open up opportunities for young people to succeed in careers the country vitally needs to prosper.
More routes into skilled work means more people building affordable homes, more care for NHS patients and more digital experts to push our economy forward. This includes an additional 30,000 apprenticeship starts across this Parliament.
This unprecedented investment is a critical step in delivering the government’s Plan for Change mission to create a decade of national renewal. They say they are backing our young people and investing in skills as an engine of economic growth – putting more money in people’s back pockets and breaking down barriers to opportunity.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “A skilled workforce is the key to steering the economy forward, and today we’re backing the next generation by giving young people more opportunities to learn a trade, earn a wage and achieve and thrive.
“When we invest in skills for young people, we invest in a shared, stronger economic future – creating opportunities as part of our Plan for Change.
“But everyone has a role to play in a thriving economy, and we’re taking our responsibility seriously providing more routes into employment, it’s now the responsibility of young people to take them.”
To support this, the Westminster government is:
- Implementing a 32% increase in the Immigration Skills Charge, which will deliver up to 45,000 additional training places to upskill the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on migration in priority sectors. As announced in the recent Immigration White Paper.
- Refocusing funding away from Level 7 (masters-level) apprenticeships from January 2026, while maintaining support for those aged 16-21 and existing apprentices. This will enable levy funding to be rebalanced towards training at lower levels, where it can have the greatest impact.
- Launched 13 new Level 2 construction courses for adults in non-devolved areas under the Free Courses for Jobs scheme.
In addition to the £3bn apprenticeship budget, the government is backing the new generation of workers through:
- £14 million of adult skills funding for construction to be devolved to local mayors for next academic year, expected to support up to 5,000 additional adult learners.
- £136 million for Skills Bootcamps across a range of priority sectors in 2025-26, providing training to over 40,000 learners.
- £100 million over four years to expand Construction Skills Bootcamps.
- Ten Technical Excellence Colleges specialising in construction skills, opening in September 2025.
As part of the UK government’s Plan for Change, the reforms are a vital step in delivering our youth guarantee and addressing skills shortages to drive growth while creating better opportunities for young people and adults across England.
Today’s announcement comes following a dramatic fall in the number of apprenticeship starts over the last decade, and as recent ONS statistics show as many as one in eight 16-24 year olds are not in employment, education or training.