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Adult Retraining Scheme Rolled Out Further

Get Help to Retrain digital service is being extended
23 August 2019
 

Education Minister Kemi Badenoch has announced the further rollout of the Get Help to Retrain digital service to the West Midlands and North East following a successful launch across the Liverpool City region.

The Get Help to Retrain digital service is the first of a series of products that will make up the Government's landmark National Retraining Scheme, which is being developed to support adults whose jobs may change due to new technologies – such as automation and AI – to retrain and get on the path to a new career.

Get Help to Retrain is designed to help adults to identify their existing skills, explore the different types of jobs and find training courses to gain the skills they need to progress. Dedicated support is also on hand from qualified careers advisers to guide people through the process and provide expert information and advice.

The service was initially trialled across the Liverpool City Region where users provided valuable feedback so it can be developed further. From week ending August 23, the service will be available to more adults to test across the West Midlands and the North East, as well as continuing in the Liverpool City Region.

 

Job match

As the next phase of the rollout ramps up, adults will benefit from new and improved features including being able to explore a wider range of training options online and being matched to different types of jobs that they may not have considered they could do with their existing skills.

 

Rollout

Education Minister Kemi Badenoch said: "Get Help to Retrain is just the start of the National Retraining Scheme, which will play a vital role helping adults whose jobs are at risk of changing or evolving due to new technologies to learn new skills and get on the path to a new, more rewarding career.

"We’re starting off small and rolling it out in stages so we can test, refine and develop the service as we go and make sure we get it right for the people who need it."

Get Help to Retrain has started as a private service so it can be tested and developed further before being made available publicly across England from 2020.

Eligible adults - those aged 24 and over, with a qualification below degree level and working below a certain wage threshold – across the West Midlands, North East and the Liverpool City Region will be personally invited to test the service.

In the autumn, Get Help to Retrain will be rolled out to three more locations – the Leeds City Region, Cambridge and Peterborough and the South West. A series of additional products that will make up the full service are being developed and tested in parallel, before being released at different times.

The scheme is led and overseen by the National Retraining Partnership – a partnership between Government, the CBI and the TUC – to ensure the collective voices of businesses and employees are heard.

Josh Hardie, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: "It’s encouraging to see National Retraining Scheme testing rolled out to other locations across the country. Ensuring the UK’s workforce is fit for the future is essential to improving productivity growth. It’s the only sustainable route to higher wages and living standards."

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: "Every worker should have the opportunity to improve their skills and retrain. This is especially important as technology and automation are set to transform Britain’s economy in the coming years. The launch of the first phase of the National Retraining Scheme is great news. It’s the beginning of collaborative approach between government, unions and business to provide retraining to many more working people so they are prepared for the jobs of the future. Union learning reps will play a central role helping workers access opportunities through the scheme."

Picture: The Get Help to Retrain digital service is being extended.

Article written by Cathryn Ellis | Published 23 August 2019

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