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<p>The department wants to make the skills systems more responsive to employer skills
needs in all sectors and will do whatever it takes to support businesses and people
affected by COVID-19, which is why we offer a variety of programmes that businesses
and individuals can use to retrain and upskill.</p><p>Adult skills are key in supporting
the economy and tackling disadvantage. We are continuing to invest in education and
skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB) (£1.34 billion
in the 2020/21 financial year). The principal purpose of the AEB is to engage adults
and provide the skills and learning they need to equip them for work, an apprenticeship
or further learning. This includes fully funded courses in English and maths for adults
who need to improve their literacy and numeracy, fully funded first full level 2 and/or
level 3 for learners aged 19 to 23 and from 1 August 2020, fully funded specified
digital skills qualifications for adults with no/low digital skills. The AEB also
funds learning in the workplace, where a learner has a statutory entitlement to full
funding.</p><p>Employers can offer apprenticeships to new recruits and existing staff,
supporting the creation of new jobs as well as opportunities to upskill. They can
choose between more than 580 apprenticeship standards that have been designed by employers
to deliver the skills they need.</p><p>The government is also providing £2.5 billion
(£3 billion when including Barnett funding for devolved administrations), for the
National Skills Fund.</p><p>The fund aims to boost productivity and ensure more people
and places can share in the rewards that improved productivity can bring. It also
presents a great opportunity to create a more coherent and simpler system that learners,
providers, local areas and employers can more easily understand and navigate.</p><p>My
right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister recently announced that for adults who do not
currently have a level 3 qualification, the government will be fully funding their
first full level 3 through the National Skills Fund. We will target this level 3 entitlement
at subjects and qualifications with economic value and the strongest alignment with
government priorities, to ensure the best possible returns for individuals, employers
and the nation.</p><p>The Prime Minister also announced the launch of our new digital
bootcamps, in 6 areas, to support local regions and employers to fill in-demand vacancies.
The bootcamp training courses will provide valuable skills based on employer demand
and will offer a fast track to a job interview on completion. Pending the success
of the initial bootcamps, we are planning to expand the digital bootcamps to more
of the country from Spring 2021 and we also want to extend this model to include other
technical skills training.</p><p>Further plans for the National Skills Fund will be
communicated in due course.</p><p> </p>
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