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People
Scrapping 50% university target is ‘real step forward’ for construction
Nadine Buddoo CM People Editor
Two-thirds of young people will be encouraged to participate in higher-level learning – including academic, technical or “gold standard” apprenticeships – by age 25 (image: Dreamstime)
Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins has welcomed the government’s decision to transform further and higher education.
This week, the prime minister announced a package of reforms to the education skills system, which includes ditching Labour’s previous target of encouraging 50% of young people to go to university.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Kier Starmer revealed the government's “bold new target” of two-thirds of young people participating in higher-level learning – including academic, technical or “gold standard” apprenticeships – by age 25.
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Welcoming the announcement, Andy Rayner, director of skills and apprenticeships at Travis Perkins, said the decision is “a real step forward for young people and industries like construction”.
“Putting apprenticeships on an equal footing with universities helps show that there are multiple routes to success,” Rayner added.
“What matters now is making sure those apprenticeships are high quality, widely available and closely tied to real jobs, so industries like construction can attract the next generation of skilled workers.
“At Travis Perkins, we’ve long championed apprenticeships as a way of bringing new talent into the industry, and we’ll continue to work with colleges, training providers and employers to help more people build long-term careers in the trades.”
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