BUSINESSNEWS • 67
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Ben Brocklesby
Thoughts in
the industry
Ben Brocklesby,
Director at Origin
There were no major
shocks in Chancellor
Philip Hammond’s Spring
Budget, especially for the
manufacturing industry. I
do think, once again, it was a
positive statement of intent
from the government. It shows
the UK economy is on the
mend, which is fantastic for
a family-run business like
Origin.
We were thrilled to see
that the government is
planning to introduce a series
of qualifications known
as T-Levels. Chancellor
Hammond announced that
there would be an additional
£500 million a year given
to technical and vocational
education, designed to be more
relevant to employers’ needs.
This is music to our ears.
Ever since we hosted
our ‘Homes of the Future’
roundtable in 2015, we
have been calling for
the government to start
encouraging fresh blood into
the construction industry.
This will fill the skills gap
that is being created as the
older generation retire. The
introduction of T-Levels, which
will see the number of hours’
training for 16- to 19-year-old
students increase by more
than 50 per cent, will go a long
way to correcting this issue.
It will also make sure workers
in the manufacturing and
engineering sector are work-
ready once they qualify.
As we prepare for a
future outside of the EU,
it is heartening to see the
government looking to build
from within. As always, Origin
will continue as usual, relying
on the product quality and the
unbeatable service we provide,
as well as unrivalled lead times
on our systems.
Carolyn Fairbairn,
CBI Director-General
“This is a breakthrough
Budget for skills. There has
never been a more important
time for the UK to sit at the
global top table of technical
education for young people.
Firms will be looking for
ongoing partnership with
the government as they try to
make the Apprenticeship Levy
work. However, with inflation
rising and the cumulative
burden weighing on
businesses’ shoulders, limited
relief for firms hit hard by
business rates falls short. Firms
Carolyn Fairbairn
are wholly committed to the
health and wellbeing of their
people, and are pleased to see
an increase in spending on
social care. Businesses will be
pleased to see the Chancellor’s
continued watchful eye on
getting the deficit down and
avoiding surprises.”
On technical education,
Carolyn said, “Firms are
delighted by the Chancellor’s
announcement, as the number
of teaching hours for technical
subjects is fundamental to
delivering world class training
for our young people in every
part of the UK.
“With the majority of people
who will be working in 2030
already in the workforce
now, the focus on adult
skills provision will put this
type of training on the right
path to major and necessary
improvement.”
Brian Berry,
Chief Executive of the FMB
“The Chancellor clearly
understands that the UK
won’t address the productivity
challenge unless we rethink
our approach to technical and
vocational education. T-Levels
could be the answer if they
genuinely rival A-Levels in
the eyes of parents, teachers
and young people. UK society
has been guilty of putting
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Brian Berry
too much emphasis on the
academic route – this has
made it more difficult for vital
sectors like construction and
house building to attract the
talented people we need. In
construction, we are suffering
from a severe skills shortage
and this is likely to worsen
once we leave the EU and no
longer have easy access to
European labour. This £500
million funding announced
today for T-Levels is therefore
a welcome and much-needed
boost.”
Berry concluded: “The
government has made the
right decision to row back on
its plan to hike up National
Insurance Contributions
for the self-employed. At a
time when we need to do
everything we can to ensure
economic stability, this would
have been a destabilising tax
increase, which would have hit
large numbers of tradespeople
on quite modest incomes.
That would have felt very
unfair and would have been
in danger of undermining
the entrepreneurial spirit
Britain will need to rely on as
we approach the economic
uncertainty of Brexit.”
www.gov.uk/government/
speeches/spring-budget-2017-
philip-hammonds-speech