The CBI gives evidence to the Education Select Committee about the importance of lifelong learning.

Fourth Industrial Revolution focuses on lifelong and the National Retraining Partnership has long been an important area for the CBI and its members.

To start the year, CBI’s Chief Policy Director, Matthew Fell, gave oral evidence to the Education Select Committee, alongside the TUC. The inquiry is looking at how best to prepare young people to take advantage of future opportunities through the school curriculum, the role of lifelong learning and how people can realise the opportunities as technology continues to develop.

During his appearance before the Committee, Matthew spoke about the importance of equipping school leavers with a broad base of skills, alongside good qualifications. He highlighted findings from the CBI’s recent Education & Skills survey, Educating for the modern world, which looked at issues affecting education and skills in the UK, such as apprenticeships and technical education, school priorities and lifelong learning.

On training and developing, Matthew challenged employers to embrace a culture of lifelong learning and make it part of their training strategies and emphasised how vital it is for those already in work to keep pace with the changing world of work. This is something the CBI’s and Tata Consultancy Services survey on digital skills will examine when published this Spring.

Finally, on the National Retraining Partnership, Matthew praised the government’s intentions but said that the scheme must be practically delivered so that it complements employers’ existing training and recruitment practices. It must aim to fill gaps in provision, not duplicate.

Going forward the CBI will continue to work with the government on the National Retraining Partnership, making sure the voice of business is heard and engaging employers with the design of the scheme.