Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of skilled staff for small businesses; and what measures they are taking to support workforce development and training.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Employer Skills Survey provides robust evidence about skills shortages in the labour market and skills gaps in the workforce. In 2024, skill-shortage vacancies were higher among businesses with two to four employees compared to those with 100 or more (42% vs 19%). Regarding internal skill gaps, the proportion of employees judged not fully proficient at their job was lower for businesses with two to four employees compared to those with 100 or more (1.8% vs 4.6%).
We have established Skills England as the single authoritative voice on the country’s current and future skills needs. It will ensure the views of all businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are considered to build a system delivering better skills for better jobs. It is already responding to employer need, including SME employers, by developing the first foundation apprenticeships and first short apprenticeships which will give employers greater flexibility in key sectors.
It is tackling barriers to small business engagement by reducing bureaucracy and duplication. Through collaboration with local partners, it is shaping high quality Local Skills Improvement Plans, which are empowering local areas to better align skills provision with local labour market needs, including helping to meet the ongoing workforce development and training needs of SMEs.
Asked by: Lord Risby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of online learning; and what plans they have to incorporate any such benefits into education provision when schools reopen.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Technology in education has been essential for continuing to teach remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent school and college closures. In the long term, it also has the potential to support teacher workload reductions, flexible working, cost savings, inclusive teaching practice and improved pupil outcomes.
A number of programmes which have been in place across the COVID-19 outbreak are providing valuable intelligence as to the most impactful uses of online learning.
The EdTech Demonstrator programme, which supports schools and colleges to use technology to strengthen remote education arrangements and secure a longer-term strategy, will provide an important evaluation on the extent to which this sector-led approach can impact on the positive use of technology and help other institutions address a broad range of challenges they face both now and in the future.
The department’s digital platforms offer allows schools to provide remote online teaching, as well as develop approaches for the longer term.
In addition, Ofsted conducted monitoring visits to schools in the Autumn Term, looking at remote education practice, and publishing a guide to what works well: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-publishes-short-guide-to-what-works-well-in-remote-education.