Universities must be part of the next chapter of skills devolution

A skills system that responds to the changing needs of people, employers and local economies is an ambition we can all share. But as greater responsibility for skills moves closer to local communities, we need to think carefully about who that system serves and which institutions are around the table shaping it.

I saw why this matters when I recently joined the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) on a visit to Liverpool Hope University in my constituency.

There I met 30-year-old Louis Abernethy, who grew up in Liverpool and now works at King David Primary School. Louis had already spent several years working in education, but without a degree felt his opportunities to progress were limited.

The cost of university had been a barrier and he had reached the point of considering leaving education altogether, despite his passion for the sector. A degree apprenticeship offered another route: Louis can continue working while studying at Liverpool Hope and apply what he learns directly in the classroom.

Nobody in his family had attended university and, as he put it, university was never something he had considered an option. He is now working towards becoming the first person in his family to gain a degree and hopes to use his experience to support other working-class boys facing similar barriers.

Louis’s story demonstrates why we need an all-age approach to apprenticeships. There is rightly a strong focus on helping young people, including those not in education, employment or training, access opportunities to begin their careers. But that should not mean losing sight of people already in the workforce who need to develop new skills, progress or retrain.

An all-age approach is not about choosing between younger and older learners. It means providing strong routes into employment for young people while ensuring opportunities to learn and progress remain available throughout people’s working lives.

Louis’s experience also challenges how we talk about academic and vocational education. He has not chosen between going to university and taking an apprenticeship. He is doing both.

That matters as the Milburn review considers how our post-16 education and skills system should evolve. Degree apprenticeships demonstrate why the traditional divide between academic and vocational routes is increasingly outdated. Greater parity requires us to recognise the value of different forms of learning and make it easier for people to combine them and progress between them.

Devolution provides an opportunity to put these principles into practice. Liverpool City Region has been responsible for devolved adult skills funding since 2018 and last year committed £68 million to adult training, including level 3-5 provision developed in consultation with employers.

As local control grows, universities should be considered part of this regional skills infrastructure, rather than simply providers brought in once priorities have been determined. They are major employers and anchor institutions, convene employers and other partners, and contribute research and intelligence about emerging economic and workforce needs.

This will look different across the country. Liverpool City Region is prioritising sectors including life sciences, maritime and advanced manufacturing, while other strategic authorities will develop skills strategies reflecting their own economies. That is precisely the point of devolution.

A genuinely responsive system therefore needs strong relationships between universities, colleges, employers and local leaders, while ensuring opportunities remain available to people at every stage of their careers.

Louis’s experience shows what that can mean in practice. At 30, his apprenticeship has allowed him to remain in a profession he loves, work towards becoming the first person in his family to gain a degree and develop skills he can use every day.

That is what an all-age skills system should enable: opportunities to enter work, retrain and progress, wherever someone is in their working life.