NATIONAL RETRAINING SCHEME

The national retraining scheme is the government’s new programme to prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and to help them retrain into better jobs.

The national retraining scheme is a manifesto commitment and was announced at the autumn 2017 budget.

The scheme is a part of the government’s industrial strategy for building a country that works for everyone. It’s overseen by a partnership made up of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and government departments – led by the Department for Education (DfE), working with HM Treasury (HMT) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

To support the development of the scheme, the Chancellor announced £100m in the autumn budget 2018. This is for the continued testing and development of the scheme, as well as delivering the first parts of the scheme to the public.

Pilot projects are well underway – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-retraining-scheme/national-retraining-scheme-associated-projects 

This is one part of a wider strategy of government reforms which include:

• the industrial strategy
• review of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England
• our ongoing support of the apprenticeship programme
• in-work progression, working in partnership with DWP

What the scheme will include

The national retraining scheme aims to overcome some of these challenges, and prepare adults for changes to the workplace, by:

• supporting people already in work to move into better jobs through training and tailored advice
• complementing existing training programmes for adults
• encouraging people to develop their flexibility and resilience in the world of work, so they can take advantage of new opportunities

Further details about what we expect the national retraining scheme to offer when it’s fully rolled out are available below.

Tailored advice and guidance

People will be able to access dedicated support from a qualified national careers service adviser.

This will support people while they’re training and looking for new jobs.

Functional skills provision

Training offered through the scheme will initially focus on helping people to access English and maths training.

We’ll develop this opportunity based on feedback from people using the service, so it meets their needs.

Improving English and maths skills will help remove a common barrier that some people face when applying for new jobs.

Online and blended learning

We are developing this flexible approach to training so it fits around working adults’ busy lives.

Online and blended learning will have a broader reach and will mean more adults can access training.

Blended learning is a mix of online and face-to-face provision.

Technical training

We’ll offer in-work vocational skills training, learnt on the job, as part of the national retraining scheme.

GET HELP to retrain

Get help to retrain is the first part of the national retraining scheme that we have started testing in the Liverpool city region.

It will help people to:

• understand their current skills
• explore alternative occupations and consider new roles
• find the training they need to access opportunities for a broad range of good jobs

Features of  GET HELP to retrain

The service will:

• offer descriptions of currently available jobs and potential better jobs to help people understand their skills
• identify specific local job and training opportunities to help people develop the skills they’ll need
• get dedicated support from an adviser to use the service and find training opportunities

This is currently being tested in Liverpool City region with a small number of adults who:

• fit the eligibility criteria
• have been invited to join the scheme through colleges and other training providers.

The initial version has limited functionality, but this will eventually be scaled up. Get help to retrain will be available to all eligible adults in 2020.

The national retraining partnership aims to help businesses and workers:

• provide feedback to develop the national retraining scheme effectively and meet users’ needs
• adapt to the changes the future economy will bring
• be competitive in the future economy

Eligibility

The national retraining scheme will initially support employed adults who:

• are aged 24 and over
• do not have a qualification at degree level
• are paid below a certain wage threshold – this threshold will be tested with people earning low to medium wages as the scheme is developed

Government is investing in this group of people first as they:

• have comparatively less access to existing government support
• are most in need of adapting their skills so they can take advantage of new opportunities.