Kirstie Donnelly MBE: Plan for Economy

With the Prime Minister and Chancellor expected to unveil a Plan for the Economy next week Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO of City & Guilds, comments on what the plan needs to include to make meaningful, long lasting and effective economic change.

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO – City & Guilds–

“We welcome the government’s intention to take steps to resolve the current economic crisis, and are looking forward to seeing the details of the Plan for the Economy next week.

“But it’s important that the plan doesn’t just focus on the short term. Any effective Plan for the Economy must have a focus on skills provision, and on building an economy with skills and talent as its bedrock, for now and for the future, as the main reason we find ourselves in the current labour crisis is a large part down to not effectively planning in the months and years preceding Covid impact, and also as a direct result of Brexit. We have to stop shying away from this simple truth.

“As well as fiscal measures, the government needs to overhaul our skills system to be centred on lifelong learning.As the economy continues to recover and rebuild itself, reshaped by the challenges of the past few years, the skills businesses need are rapidly evolving. With some industries in desperate need of talent now and this looking set to persist, we must have a system that allows people to upskill, change jobs, and support them to re-enter the workforce at any point in their career. 

“Looking ahead, young people entering the workforce today will most likely work for at least fifty years, and any skills gained at age 18 or 21 will most likely need refreshing multiple times. The Plan for the Economy must look into the future, and have the mechanisms in place that allow people of all ages, in all regions of the country, to learn, train and remain employable throughout their working lives.”