Latest news with #technicaltraining
Bloomberg
10 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK to Invest £275 Million to Train Skilled British Workers
The UK will invest £275 million ($371 million) to grow the country's skilled workforce as Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks to accelerate economic growth and reduce reliance on foreign labor. The funding, announced on Sunday, will be used to overhaul technical training and apprenticeships, aiming to plug skills shortages in sectors like engineering and defence. It's part of a new industrial strategy that includes a 10-year plan for national renewal the government plans to outline this week.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
UK government unveils £275m investment in training and apprenticeships in Ebgland
The government will present a £275m investment in technical training and apprenticeships as the centrepiece of its long-awaited industrial strategy, in a direct challenge to Nigel Farage's growing influence in England's manufacturing heartlands. The package, announced by the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, on Sunday, includes funding for new technical excellence colleges, short courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital manufacturing, and major capital upgrades to training providers across England. It aims to tackle longstanding skills shortages in engineering, defence and high-growth sectors such as battery production and advanced manufacturing. Officials said the new strategy was designed to 'end the overreliance on foreign labour' and ensure a pipeline of domestic talent for critical industries – a move clearly aimed at countering Farage's narrative of national decline and reclaiming the industrial vote in traditional Labour strongholds. While the £275m pledge is not a full industrial funding package – and falls short of sector-wide subsidies or energy cost changes – it is being positioned by ministers as the first concrete step in a broader 10-year plan for growth. The full strategy, due to be published this week, will also include a new trade strategy focused on exports, supply chains and making the country 'the best-connected place in the world to do business'. Reynolds said the skills funding marked a shift away from decades of managed decline. 'Our modern industrial strategy will be powered by investing in British people,' he said. 'It will help transform our skills system to end the overreliance on foreign labour, and ensure British workers can secure good, well-paid jobs in the industries of tomorrow and drive growth and investment right across the country.' The announcement comes as Reform UK intensifies efforts to peel off Labour voters in post-industrial seats, with Farage promising to restore manufacturing and impose tougher immigration rules. While Labour has promised a broad 'plan for change', the industrial strategy has been delayed for months as ministers wrestled with how best to rebuild support in regions hit hardest by automation, outsourcing and underinvestment. The timing now is deliberate – a policy-heavy counteroffensive in the so-called red wall, where Reform UK has surged in recent polling. The skills package responds to a stark reality: one in seven young people are not in education or employment, and the number of apprenticeships has fallen by nearly 20% since 2016. The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, called the strategy an 'economic and social reset'. 'Skills rightly run right through the heart of this industrial strategy because they are key to breaking the link between background and success for young people,' she said. The strategy builds on previous announcements, including a £187m package for AI training announced during London Tech Week and a £3bn apprenticeship fund to create 120,000 places in healthcare, carpentry and construction. But the scale of new funding is modest – about £275m spread over four years, including roughly £200m for infrastructure and course delivery – and Labour may face pressure from industry and unions to go further in reforming the apprenticeship levy, immigration skills charge and energy costs for heavy industry.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milwaukee Job Corps Center was to close before judge's temporary block
The Brief A U.S. judge temporarily stopped the Trump administration from moving ahead with an effort to eliminate the Job Corps. Some of the Milwaukee Job Corps Center's 237 students have already left. The Milwaukee center said since it opened in 2011, roughly 2,500 students have completed the technical training. MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Job Corps Center was planning to lay off workers and send students home after the U.S. Department of Labor said it was pausing the program. But a judge's recent ruling put that on hold. What we know The Milwaukee Job Corps Center was on the brink of shutting down. Some of its 237 students have already left. The federal government contracts with Horizon Youth Services to run the Milwaukee Job Corps Center. "They were devastated last week when they heard the news," said Nolyn Fueller with Horizon Youth Services. "It was very unfortunate for these students, who come looking for assistance, looking for help, to be told that's being taken away." FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android The U.S. Department of Labor's job corps centers offer help to low-income students aged 16 to 24. They live, eat and train at the centers, like here in Milwaukee. The centers help students get a high school diploma and career and technical training. "They come looking for us to improve their lives and ultimately get an education that's going to help them through the rest of their lives," Fueller said. But, last week, the U.S. Department of Labor said it was pausing programs across the country. Then, on Monday, Horizons Youth Services reported to the state of Wisconsin it was going to lay off 100 workers. These layoffs were expected to be permanent. Then a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, meaning the job corps centers will stay open – for now. "We are very excited by the decision from yesterday that the temporary restraining order was granted," Fueller said. Dig deeper The U.S. Department of Labor said the national job corps program is failing. It says the deficit last year was $140 million. This year, it estimates it'll be $213 million. Government records show the national average for graduates of the program in 2023 was 38%, and Milwaukee's was a bit lower, at about 33%. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News The U.S. Department of Labor said the national average cost per graduate is $155,000. Milwaukee does better, with $125,000. The Milwaukee center said since it opened in 2011, roughly 2,500 students have completed the technical training, and about 1,500 completed high school diplomas. The Trump administration also said sites across the country have also had serious incidents, including violence, drugs and hospital visits. The Source Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
