City & Guilds responds to Autumn Statement
Call for Government to work closely with education providers and businesses
03 December 2014
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On the back of today's Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne, City & Guilds called for the Government to continue to work with education providers and businesses.
Commenting on the Autumn Statement, Chris Jones, Chief Executive of City & Guilds, said:
'The Chancellor’s move to abolish employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices comes as a welcome surprise. It is encouraging to see the Government making good on previous promises to support employers to take on more apprentices.
'This will incentivise them to invest in young people and reduce the financial and administrative burden of doing so. But we need to make sure that government assistance in the apprenticeship system does not stop at a tax cut.
'It is crucial that the Government continues to work with education providers and businesses to ensure we are developing the skills that our economy needs.'
Additionally, Kirstie Donnelly, UK Managing Director of City & Guilds, said:
'It’s great to see the announcement about increasing the accessibility of postgraduate loans for young people.
'And in the detail, we are hoping to see that it includes higher level vocational courses as well.
'The Government’s focus is quite obviously on young people, but it’s also important that older people who are looking to re-train and re-skill receive support. In a world where the nature of work is changing, we need to be looking at developing the skills of everyone – not just those under the age of 30.'