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What Difference Could Moving Skills to DWP Make? | FE News

Ufi VocTech Trust @ufitrust.bsky.social · 1d

Three weeks to go until Get the Nation Learning Week 🙌

Every year, our Strategic Partner @learnworkuk.bsky.social shines a light on making (and winning) the case for lifelong learning

We're looking forward to this year's activities

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4o9Emb7

Two vocational workers in hi-vis safety vests and gloves smiling while discussing over a digital tablet in an industrial setting

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 1d

Skills have been in a lot of Departments over the years. But here's some things DWP could do including:
1. Devolving more & reducing the proliferation of plans
2. Simplifying & boosting provision esp for young people.
3. Greater focus on career change & essential skills
4. More evidence & open data

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 1d

"If the Government wants to grasp the opportunity, there’s a chance to take some genuine steps forward."

What difference could moving skills to DWP make?

📝 L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social tackles this in @fenews.bsky.social, looking at six areas where a real difference can be made.

| What Difference Could Moving Skills to DWP Make?

www.fenews.co.uk

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 1d

"If the Government wants to grasp the opportunity, there’s a chance to take some genuine steps forward."

What difference could moving skills to DWP make?

📝 L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social tackles this in @fenews.bsky.social, looking at six areas where a real difference can be made.

What Difference Could Moving Skills to DWP Make? | FE News

| What Difference Could Moving Skills to DWP Make?

www.fenews.co.uk

Learning and Work Institute's vision for a Youth Guarantee

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 1d

Meantime there's still 1.2m 16-24 year olds not in full-time education or work, storing up trouble for them & society. Conference announcements around paid work placements for LT NEETs & higher HE participation are welcome. But we must go further & faster. learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market analysis, 14 October 2025

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 1d

Falls in employment seem to be easing, but the labour market is flat. Employment falls, and perhaps not uncoincidentally wage rises (linked partly to NMW rises), largest in sectors like retail & hospitality. Reminder: we need 2m more people in work to hit the Government's 80% employment target.

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 1d

"Sectoral differences remain with payroll employment down 110,000 in retail and hospitality compared to a year ago."

L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to today's labour market statistics released by ONS. ✍️

Sign up to receive our full briefing: learningandwork.org.uk/supporter-ne...

Learning and Work Institute's response to the labour market stats for October 2025, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

learningandwork.org.uk

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 1d

"Sectoral differences remain with payroll employment down 110,000 in retail and hospitality compared to a year ago."

L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to today's labour market statistics released by ONS. ✍️

Sign up to receive our full briefing: learningandwork.org.uk/supporter-ne...

Labour market analysis, 14 October 2025

Learning and Work Institute's response to the labour market stats for October 2025, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

learningandwork.org.uk

Job advisers in GP surgeries will help long-term sick back to work

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 5d

Connect to Work is a genuinely good idea to join up work & health & help Universal Credit health claimants into work. Some good stuff already happening. But we just need to crack on at this stage. Reminder: this started life as Universal Support under last govt & is still being rolled out!

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 5d

“We need to move rapidly into scaled up delivery if we’re to make a real difference to the number of people finding work.”

Great to see @stephenevans.bsky.social quoted in @thetimes.com on the Government's expansion of Connect to Work. 📰

✍️ @chris-smyth.bsky.social

Ministers are promising every area of England will have job advice experts in medical centres as part of their expansion of back-to-work support

www.thetimes.com

Job advisers in GP surgeries will help long-term sick back to work

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 5d

“We need to move rapidly into scaled up delivery if we’re to make a real difference to the number of people finding work.”

Great to see @stephenevans.bsky.social quoted in @thetimes.com on the Government's expansion of Connect to Work. 📰

✍️ @chris-smyth.bsky.social

Ministers are promising every area of England will have job advice experts in medical centres as part of their expansion of back-to-work support

www.thetimes.com

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 6d

This was a great report by 5 News and fabulous to hear from adult learners about how low literacy was affecting their lives & how changing that was changing their lives. Adult learning is a good investment for people, the economy & society. #AmbitionSkills

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 6d

Watch 5 News coverage of our new #AmbitionSkills report featuring @stephenevans.bsky.social! 📺

The report envisions a lifelong learning century where more people learn throughout life, and shows restoring adult skills to 2010 levels could boost the economy by £22bn.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szku...

Revealed: V Levels incoming as axe looms for BTECs

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 6d

Watch 5 News coverage of our new #AmbitionSkills report featuring @stephenevans.bsky.social! 📺

The report envisions a lifelong learning century where more people learn throughout life, and shows restoring adult skills to 2010 levels could boost the economy by £22bn.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szku...

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 6d

New @learnworkuk.bsky.social report out today. Thanks @feweek.bsky.social for great article on it. Full thread from me tomorrow, delayed by today’s L&W away day (there was truffle making).

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Shane Chowen @ukshane.bsky.social · 12d

We think the V stands for Vocational - but we'll see what the nation's teenagers think...

feweek.co.uk/revealed-v-l...

Ministers are poised to announce new qualifications as 'third route' between A-levels and T Levels as colleges prepare to axe applied generals

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 14d

That’s helpful clarification. Do you know if we’re talking 2/3 of 18-30s or a different age range? I’ll try and crunch some numbers and see a bit more of what it’d mean.

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 14d

Yes, but I assume they’re talking about 18-30s (the focus on the 50% target) or possibly a narrower range. Agree we’re in the top group for tertiary on most measures though, although focused on one type of provision for one age group (which they’ll likely want to flex).

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 14d

It’ll be interesting to see what they do mean. If it’s 2/3 of 18 year olds going to HE or an apprenticeship then that’s definitely different to 2/3 18-30s.

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 15d

3. In short, not clear this is a step change in numbers. But a clear signal & something to measure action against & allows possible resource & numbers shift to vocational routes. And who’d have thought a PM would say FE is a defining focus of the Government. A lot done, a lot to do.

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 15d

2. Targets can focus systems. So clear signal here is about apprenticeships for young people. Possible shift in numbers from HE to apps? How will we define ‘high quality’ and young people? I’m assuming L3+ & 16-30, which would mean some rises from now. But let’s see.

A rising minimum wage has helped the worse off — but is now edging uncomfortably close to the middle class

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 15d

New target for 2/3 young people to do HE or an apprenticeship is probably broadly sensible (abolishing 50% HE target that doesn’t exist is about headlines). But is it ambitious? 25% of YP already do apprenticeships. 50% do HE. Some overlap & likely app drop since this data. But just describing now?

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Jack Kessler @jackkessler.bsky.social · 15d

The lowest paid in Britain have enjoyed a 70% rise in the minimum wage over the last 25 years — in real terms.

But stagnant median earnings have left the professional classes able neither to afford the lifestyles of the rich, nor to match the upward mobility of those below.

My newsletter, out now.

The Great Compression

www.linestotake.com

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 15d

In @feweek.bsky.social, L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social comments on the GLA's plans to introduce sector employer boards in London.

💬 Stephen said he hopes “the new boards will look at increasing employer investment in training, which has fallen 36 per cent in the last 20 years.”

Khan puts business bosses in skills driving seat

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is seeking employers in key sectors to join boards to 'ultimately lead commissioning' of skills, work and careers programmes.

Chancellor to ‘guarantee’ job or training place to young NEETs

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 15d

Great to see L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comment on the Government's plans to tackle youth unemployment in @feweek.bsky.social. ⬇️📰

New scheme to strip benefits from young people that refuse work or training in a bid to tackle rising NEETs

Chancellor to ‘guarantee’ job or training place to young NEETs

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 16d

Pleased to be quoted in this piece. This is a really welcome step, though we need details on how we’ll ensure quality placements & support. We also need eligibility to encompass all who can benefit. Important to see as part of wider Youth Guarantee plans.

FE Week @feweek.bsky.social · 16d

📢 Out of work young people will be ‘guaranteed’ a work or training place in a bid to tackle rising NEETs, the chancellor will announce later today

feweek.co.uk/chancellor-t...

New scheme to strip benefits from young people that refuse work or training in a bid to tackle rising NEETs

Young people to lose benefits if they refuse job offers

Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 16d

Check out L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comments in @telegraphnews.bsky.social on how we can best support young people not in education, employment or training. ⬇️💬

@eirnolsoe.bsky.social

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202... 🗞️

Access Restricted

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 16d

"It's important this offer is open to all young people who need it, regardless of their benefit status."

In @thetimes.com, @stephenevans.bsky.social welcomes the Government's plans to offer paid work to young people not in work or training, but calls for more details.

@chris-smyth.bsky.social

Rachel Reeves is to announce a plan to seek out young people not in work or training, and ‘abolish’ long-term youth unemployment

www.thetimes.com

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FE Week @feweek.bsky.social · 16d

📢 Out of work young people will be ‘guaranteed’ a work or training place in a bid to tackle rising NEETs, the chancellor will announce later today

feweek.co.uk/chancellor-t...

Chancellor to ‘guarantee’ job or training place to young NEETs

New scheme to strip benefits from young people that refuse work or training in a bid to tackle rising NEETs

Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 16d

Rhetoric might focus on losing benefits if not taking up help. But actual announcement is paid work placements for 18-21s on benefit for 18m+. This is sensible, if not a huge group. Widen eligibility, ensure quality work, can make a real difference.