Harrogate College welcomes government skills boost
by
Sep 29, 2020
Harrogate College

The principal of Harrogate College has welcomed the government’s announcement that it will pay for adults to retrain and study at further education colleges.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this morning the government will fund adults who do not have Level 3, or equivalent qualifications such as A-Levels, to study at a college course in England from April 2021. It will be funded via the £2.5bn national skills fund.

Harrogate College at Hornbeam Park offers a range of Level 3 qualifications in subjects including construction and healthcare. Principal Danny Wild told the Stray Ferret that the measures will help boost the local labour market post-covid.

He said:

“It’s really, really positive news thats going to allow the workforce to keep pace with the changing labour market. That’s only going to help productivity and employment opportunities across North Yorkshire.”


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Currently, the government will only pay adults up to the age of 23 to study what they deem to be essential courses, such as English and Maths.

However, the Prime Minister said this morning he wants to see a “radical change” in how the country trains people as it recovers from coronavirus. The Labour Party said the funding would not reverse the impact of “a decade of cuts”.

Mr Wild said sectors in Harrogate including construction, digital, science, and healthcare will all benefit from the increased skills funding.

He added:

“The skillset people need to work in these sectors they didn’t need 10 years ago. People need an opportunity to upskill or retrain and this is what these measures will help with.”