The National Retraining Scheme - Helping People Whose Jobs Are at Risk from Technological Change

Sunday 18 August, 2019 Written by Simon Collyer

THE NATIONAL RETRAINING SCHEME - is the government’s new programme to prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and to help them retrain into better jobs.

This is what the Department of Education has to say:

The national retraining scheme is a manifesto commitment and was announced at the autumn 2017 budget.

The scheme is a part of the government’s industrial strategy for building a country that works for everyone. It’s overseen by a partnership made up of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the government.

To support the development of the scheme, the Chancellor announced £100m in the autumn budget 2018. This is for the continued testing and development of the scheme, as well as delivering the first parts of the scheme to the public.

Eligibility

The national retraining scheme will initially support employed adults who:

are aged 24 and over
do not have a qualification at degree level
are paid below a certain wage threshold – this threshold will be tested with people earning low to medium wages as we develop the scheme
We’re investing in this group of people first as they:
have comparatively less access to existing government support
are most in need of adapting their skills so they can take advantage of new opportunities
The need for the national retraining scheme
We’re introducing the national retraining scheme to respond to:
the changing nature of jobs and the types of tasks people do at work
the need for a multi-skilled workforce in the future
make the most of the new opportunities that the future economy will bring

The national retraining scheme is the government’s new programme to prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and to help them retrain into better jobs.

The national retraining scheme is a manifesto commitment and was announced at the autumn 2017 budget.

Eligibility

The national retraining scheme will initially support employed adults who:

are aged 24 and over
do not have a qualification at degree level
are paid below a certain wage threshold – this threshold will be tested with people earning low to medium wages as we develop the scheme
We’re investing in this group of people first as they:
have comparatively less access to existing government support
are most in need of adapting their skills so they can take advantage of new opportunities
The need for the national retraining scheme
We’re introducing the national retraining scheme to respond to:
the changing nature of jobs and the types of tasks people do at work
the need for a multi-skilled workforce in the future
make the most of the new opportunities that the future economy will bring

The sections below summarise some of the challenges the country will face.

Automation: benefits and challenges

While automation will lead to new jobs, it will also change many of the jobs of today.

Research on the probability of automation in England: 2011 and 2017, suggests that around 7.4% of jobs (1.5 million) in England could be automated or partly automated in the future.

Some jobs will change significantly or will see reduced demand with up to 35% of jobs being at high risk of automation in the next 10 to 20 years.

Fewer adults undertaking training.

Despite the range of learning and training opportunities currently available, the number of adult learners continues to fall.

Barriers to retraining

Our research with adults who have used early parts of the national retraining scheme during its testing phase shows that many people face a range of barriers that prevent them from accessing further learning or training. These barriers include:

the financial cost of training
training opportunities that do not fit the working patterns of people already in employment
poor previous experience of education
Low productivity growth in the economy

The national retraining scheme aims to boost productivity by taking advantage of new technology.

The scheme is part of other measures the government is taking to increase productivity in the economy.

Longer working lives

As people work longer, there will be a greater need to:

adapt to changes in the economy
consider new careers throughout their working lives
What the scheme will include
The national retraining scheme aims to overcome some of these challenges, and prepare adults for changes to the workplace, by:
supporting people already in work to move into better jobs through training and tailored advice
complementing existing training programmes for adults
encouraging people to develop their flexibility and resilience in the world of work, so they can take advantage of new opportunities

Further details about what we expect the national retraining scheme to offer when it’s fully rolled out are available below.

Tailored advice and guidance

People will be able to access dedicated support from a qualified national careers service adviser.

This will support people while they’re training and looking for new jobs. Functional skills provision

Training offered through the scheme will initially focus on helping people to access English and maths training.

We’ll develop this opportunity based on feedback from people using the service, so it meets their needs.

Improving English and maths skills will help remove a common barrier that some people face when applying for new jobs.

Online and blended learning

We are developing this flexible approach to training so it fits around working adults’ busy lives.

Online and blended learning will have a broader reach and will mean more adults can access training.

Blended learning is a mix of online and face-to-face provision.

Technical training

We’ll offer in-work vocational skills training, learnt on the job, as part of the national retraining scheme.

Get help to retrain

Get help to retrain is the first part of the national retraining scheme that we have started testing in the Liverpool city region.

It will help people to:

understand their current skills
explore alternative occupations and consider new roles
find the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs
Features of get help to retrain
The service will:
offer descriptions of currently available jobs and potential better jobs to help people understand their skills
identify specific local job and training opportunities to help people develop the skills they’ll need
get dedicated support from an adviser to use the service and find training opportunities

Development of get help to retrain

We’ve started testing get help to retrain in the Liverpool city region with a small number of adults who:

fit the eligibility criteria
have been invited to join the scheme through colleges and other training providers.

The initial version has limited functionality, but this will be scaled up as we test and develop the service.

We’ll expand get help to retrain to other areas across the country, adding more functionality to every stage.

Get help to retrain will be available to all eligible adults in 2020.

Development of the national retraining scheme

Our approach

We’re developing the scheme with a user-centred, ‘test and learn’ approach.

This means we’ll:

develop the scheme with the people and businesses who’ll use it

start small and scale up products and services following extensive testing with people using the scheme
This approach reduces risks, while developing a national retraining scheme that:
uses lessons learned from previous retraining programmes
offers value for money
is fully tested before we roll it out nationally
works for the people who’ll use it
can be developed to meet employers’ needs and expectations
offers the flexibility to make changes quickly based on feedback from people using it
can be changed to meet the future needs of the economy

National retraining partnership

The national retraining scheme is led and overseen by the national retraining partnership which includes:

government departments – led by the Department for Education (DfE), working with HM Treasury (HMT) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
Trades Union Congress (TUC)

The national retraining partnership aims to help businesses and workers:

provide feedback to develop the national retraining scheme effectively and meet users’ needs
adapt to the changes the future economy will bring
be competitive in the future economy

Our research

Extensive research with potential users has helped us develop the first part of the scheme. This research has allowed us to meet the needs of employed adults who are eligible to use the scheme, as well as employers.

To do this, we conducted research with:

over 340 working adults, including people with assisted digital needs (over 90 of these workers took part in a remote test of the service)
90 people representing around 35 employers across 7 different locations
17 careers advisers

We’ll continue to use this approach with employers and working adults as we roll out the scheme.

Views from people who will use the scheme

From our research with people currently employed and who are eligible to use the scheme, we have found that:

most people will only consider training if there is a clear route to a new job
the current training and job landscape can be overwhelming
most people would not sign up for training without further information and guidance first
negative perceptions were common, for example, poor previous learning experiences
the term a ‘better job’ means different things to different people
online training often meets people’s needs for flexibility, but many people lack the confidence using it
existing online training is often targeted at the highly-skilled and motivated
existing online training only meets users’ needs to a limited extent as it represents only a small proportion of adult training provision
people would pay or co-fund training if it led to a job

Employers’ views

When speaking to employers, we found that they value:

soft skills, such as good communications skills and a strong work ethic
a scheme that was integrated with existing recruitment processes
apprenticeships, but many have expressed an interest in a shorter, more flexible retraining offer

National organisations

We’ve worked with a range of national representative bodies at conferences and events, including:

Association of Education and Learning Providers – national conference, June 2019
Unionlearn – annual conference 2019 (as well as a range of regional events across the country)
The Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network May 2019
The Association of Colleges – including through their 2018 annual conference

Regional organisations

We’ve held meetings across the country so that our research is:

representative of local areas
captured a full range of views and experiences
highlighted the strength and depth of existing provision

To do this, we spoke with:

regional representative organisations, including chambers of commerce, local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) and other representative groups.
training providers
awarding bodies

Specialist advice

We are consulting behavioural change specialists on a research project that will provide clear recommendations for:

getting eligible adults to consider retraining for a better job
encouraging them to use the national retraining scheme to help them achieve this goal

We are taking forward a range of pilots and initiatives to inform the scheme.

Working across government

While DfE is taking the lead in the design and delivery of the scheme through the national retraining partnership, we are working across government to make sure that the national retraining scheme complements existing initiatives and services that have been proven to work well.

This is one part of a wider strategy of government reforms which include:

the industrial strategy
review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England
our ongoing support of the apprenticeship programme
in-work progression, working in partnership with DWP

National retraining scheme: associated projects

In preparation for the national retraining scheme, we are running a number of pilots and associated projects.

Pilots to boost participation in adult learning

In the autumn budget 2017, the government announced up to £40 million for pilots and testing. This has been used to test approaches with adults:
with low to intermediate skill levels
who are likely to be in low paid work

This money is being used to deliver the cost and outreach pilots and the flexible learning fund.

Cost and outreach pilots

The cost and outreach pilots are designed to test:

which approaches to outreach are most successful in engaging adults in learning
whether offering a course fee subsidy makes a difference to the uptake of learning

The pilots are testing how we change perceptions or attitudes to learning through:

outreach work, exploring the importance of which messages attract adults to courses
examining the role that face-to-face information, advice and guidance can play in encouraging adults to retrain

The pilots also test the impact of subsidising the cost of learning on participation. The focus is on learning that’s economically valuable to learners and the local economy.

There are 5 geographical areas involved in the pilot, including:

Greater Lincolnshire

Heart of the South West

Leeds city region

Stoke and Staffordshire (LEPS)

The West Midlands Combined Authority

The flexible learning fund

The flexible learning fund is testing the design and provision of flexible and accessible methods of learning for working adults with low or intermediate skills. There are 30 projects participating in the fund, which are led by a range of organisations including further education colleges and local councils.

Most of the projects offer accredited functional skills qualifications. However, some projects are also testing the delivery of non-accredited basic skills such as CV writing.

The majority of projects make use of technology, with most offering blended learning, which combine online and face to face learning.

All projects have completed a development phase, including:

developing new course content
converting content to make sure it’s suitable for online training

Pilots are being provided nationwide. Local pilots are also available in:

London
the East Midlands
the North East
the North West
the South East
the South West
the West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber

The construction skills fund

The construction skills fund, launched in June 2018 aims to:

increase the number of people trained in construction

reduce the construction skills shortage
help build the homes and infrastructure England needs
inform the development of the national retraining scheme

Funding in excess of £20 million has been awarded to 26 projects in England to support and

encourage innovative and employer-led approaches to training with on-site training.

The construction skills fund is:

funded by the Department for Education (DfE)
administered and implemented by Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

The projects are proposing to deliver at least 13,000 employment-ready individuals by March 2020.

Construction hubs are being built in:

London
the East of England
the Midlands
the North West
the South East
Yorkshire and Humber

The adult learning technology innovation fund and technology in education

The government is investing £5 million in this initiative, which will be managed by innovation foundation Nesta.

This fund will provide funding and expertise to encourage businesses and education providers to use new technologies, such as:

artificial intelligence (AI)
information about how the local economy is operatingThe fund will be used to develop personalised and engaging online training opportunities, and career guidance services for adults.

This is supported by the DfE’s EdTech strategy.

We will launch details of the fund and a call for expressions of interest in autumn 2019.

It will follow an initial research and development period where we will work closely with the technology sector and online learning experts so that funding is prioritised in the right areas.

Through Nesta, the winning organisations will also have access to the charity’s development expertise in addition to government investment.

The national retraining scheme is being developed with: