Roundtable Discussion | Learner needs should be equal to employer needs to truly level up

Yesterday afternoon leaders from the FE sector and business, came together to discuss the importance of learner and local community needs.

The latest FE Week roundtable, in partnership with NCFE, featured contributors such as the CBI and WorldSkills UK.

During the hour-long discussion, contributors outlined their perspectives on getting the balance right between learner and local community needs, and employer needs, in terms of both delivering the levelling-up agenda and creating a world-class skills system.

Topics debated included:

• What levelling up means in practice and how world-class technical and vocational education can drive this
• The crucial role that employers play in the development of qualifications and training programmes (apprenticeships, T Levels) and how this could be improved / where the gaps lie
• What learner efficacy means and how we can make ‘learner need’ more central to the education ecosystem
• The balance of transferable essential skills (such as mental fitness and resilience) in addition to sector-specific skills that meet current and future economic needs
• What role the community plays in the system and how we can do more to maximise learners’ societal impact through the beneficiaries of their skills

The session was chaired by FE Week editor, Shane Chowen and contributors included:

• David Gallagher, CEO, NCFE
• Neil Bentley, CEO, WorldSkills UK
• Robert West, Head of Education & Skills, CBI
• Dimond Ofori, Academic Mentor for KS5 at George Green’s School
• Jennifer Coupland, CEO, Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education
• Simon Ashworth, Policy Director, AELP
• Olly Newton, Executive Director, Edge Foundation
• Stephan Evans, CEO, Learning and Work Institute

Watch the Roundtable discussion