Sector Skills

While summer holidays offer pause for thought, there may be reasons to be optimistic for the UK economy this August. Could business confidence be returning? Might leaders be able to align recent positive storytelling with intelligent investments in higher education?

The job pyramid may be changing, becoming effectively narrower at its base with fewer entry level jobs available, seemingly due to investment shortages and attempts to streamline infrastructure through AI adoption. I have not been immune to this struggle as a recent graduate myself.

The £725 million package for skills reforms for the under-25s, announced by the government in December, is now in full effect, with introductory AI short courses and SME apprenticeships funding in place.

Corporate training offers the opportunity to diversify income streams for universities and breathe new life into industry relationships and degree learning.

Over 700,000 UK university graduates are currently out of work and claiming welfare benefits, a 46% increase since pre-pandemic levels, according to the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). As with the global political situation, it is clear this is no blip, but a fundamental issue.

When there’s a disconnect between what students want to study and the needs of the economy, graduates’ earning potential is limited...