We have a problem with entry level training. While higher level apprenticeship numbers continue to swell, there has been little overall growth in level 2-3 take-up over the last five years. With almost a million young people not in education, training or employment (NEET), the government is hoping to redress the issue of take-up with the launch of foundation level apprenticeships in the autumn and through recent changes to level 7 funding, directing more money into other levels.
At the same time, the seismic transformation we’re undergoing towards more sustainable, AI-enabled work is fundamentally reshaping many professions. For the economy to thrive, entry-level education needs to be rethought to help new workers and their employers navigate these changes.
There have been calls to replace level 2 apprenticeships with foundation apprenticeships to help tackle these challenges. That approach, however, assumes that the needs of all occupations are the same and that everyone learns in the same way. We know that this isn’t the case. A rising number of NEET learners simply aren’t ready to meet the demands of employers today. To support learners and create a future ready workforce, we need to provide ways to access skills that best suit learner outcomes and learning style: whether that’s online, in the classroom or on-the-job.
Perhaps the biggest barriers to engaging the nation’s NEETs is perception. With news reports of robots coming to take our jobs, some people are questioning the future of entry level roles altogether. Jeremy Hunt has even suggested that young people should not even consider a career in accountancy due to the advent of AI.
In a sector which is as much about people as numbers, this is simply untrue, and quite a dangerous statement to be making at a time when the UK has huge skills gaps to fill. Entry level roles will always be required, both as pathways into higher level careers and as destinations in their own right. Roles will simply continue to evolve and drive new opportunities requiring new knowledge and new skills.
A July 2024 Sage report revealed that accounting practices that have integrated AI into several core processes expect to increase the number of employees in their business by 29 per cent over the next three years; 10 times more than those who are not using any AI technologies. This could boost the economy by up to £2 billion.
As automation supports routine tasks, accountants and bookkeepers will have time freed up for interpretation, advisory work, and strategic decision-making, driving greater client value and personal fulfilment.
It is time to evolve again, by offering training choices that feel relevant to learners and employers alike. In accountancy, for example, we’re introducing AI progressively through every level of AAT qualifications. Level 2 and 3 students will explore how to accurately process financial information, the role of different digital tools, and how to handle data securely. At level 4, the focus shifts to the ethical use of technology and risk management in digital systems.
Sustainabilityis also key. There is growing employer demand for green skills. This requires the foundations being set at those early levels to ensure that anyone going into the workplace can be a key player in wider business decisions being made.
Evolving courses and assessments to include new and relevant skills for the modern workplace, tested in an authentic and robust way, will help learners see the value and relevance of all levels and types of qualification and education, whether they be trusted qualifications or new pathways.
By ensuring choice of access, we can give more people the opportunity to kick-start fulfilling, life-long careers, that will contribute to the success of individual employers and the wider UK economy.
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