Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to take steps to help reduce the skills gap in rural areas.

The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills, to break down barriers to opportunity, support the development of a skilled workforce and drive economic growth through our Industrial Strategy across all areas of the country, including rural areas.

The department has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade. It will work together with regional and local governments, employers, education providers, trade unions and regional organisations to ensure that regional and national skills needs are met.

This builds on the work of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), which provide an agreed set of actionable priorities that help to better align provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs. LSIPs cover all areas of England, supporting local innovation and growth so that every part of the country is able to succeed in its own unique way. In rural areas, plans recognise the importance of developing skilled workforces and expertise in priority local industries that can support these areas' growth and sustainability. For example, the Cumbria LSIP highlights the need for specific skills relevant to land-based industries, as well as addressing immediate skills challenges in the visitor economy and care sectors.

The Greater Lincolnshire LSIP identifies priority actions to help develop a localised workforce that can sustain infrastructure projects and technological and environmental opportunities across the area. LSIPs are also helping to support rural areas and communities through the removal of local barriers, such as poor digital connectivity, deprivation and economic inactivity. For example, the Heart of the South West LSIP reviewed ways that local and regional stakeholders can collaborate to leverage funding to help resolve how a lack of accommodation and transport in rural areas impacts on recruitment, development and retention of employees, tutors and students.

The Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP, which is led by Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and includes the constituency of South West Norfolk, is designed to help ensure investors and businesses in rural areas across Norfolk and Suffolk have access to a competitive and diverse pool of highly skilled employees, especially in key local industries such as agri-food tech and low carbon energy.

Specifically, the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP has helped to develop various training programmes and prioritises continuous training opportunities, including vocational training in specific industries, staff training programmes in green technologies and sustainability curriculum integration. The LSIP also plays a key role in upskilling and reskilling the local workforce in the cross-cutting needs employers have said they need most, such as digital skills and soft skills.

The department is committed to making a success of T Levels and extending the opportunity they provide to as many young people as possible. 21 T Levels are now being delivered in providers across the country, many of which are in rural locations, creating opportunities for young people to develop skills for work and life.

The department funds the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver modern, high quality careers education through a national network of 44 careers hubs and over 3,800 business volunteers. Almost 400 leading employers, including the National Trust, National Farmers Union and Worldwide Fruit, provide local leadership in Careers Hubs to increase opportunities for meaningful employer encounters and workplace experiences. The CEC collaborates with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture, ensuring that careers information is promoted to schools via its digital platform and Careers Hub Networks.