The demand for advanced skills is rapidly outpacing supply, leaving a significant gap in the workforce. With automation and AI reshaping industries at an unprecedented rate, strategic funding initiatives are becoming crucial in transforming how we approach skills training.
“The Government has reported that the digital skills gap is estimated to cost the UK economy £63 billion per year,” a staggering figure to most of us and then a thought of what can we do about it?
The skills and training provisions across the UK are vast and complex. Various government initiatives, such as Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, and short courses, aim to address the needs of people from diverse backgrounds and industries. All delivered via national or locally funded programmes via hundreds of training providers or Further Education organisations up and down the country.
At ABP School of Automation, our training programs are developed in collaboration with industry experts to ensure that our participants are equipped with cutting-edge skills that directly meet market demands. We strive to be part of the solution by supporting people in work to upskill or those out of work to gain new skills and start careers.
At ABP School of Automation we are contracted by the Department for Education to deliver Skills Bootcamps specifically focused on Intelligent Automation, to teach people the skills to use automation software that can transform and streamline business processes.
Automation software is not new tech, it’s actually been around for quite some time and in the early days you would know it as Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Well like any piece of technology it has evolved, and as much as RPA was a fantastic tool to use and still is, it was not always the answer or the right tool to use when using technology to solve a business problem. The software vendors in this space have enhanced their platforms and now provide an array of tools and solutions to solve problems including AI, Machine Learning, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and more, now known as Intelligent Automation.
As technology evolves so should skills and training needs, the industry moves at such a pace that the concept of “Lifelong Learning” is so important. Our close links to industry, software vendors and clients positions us strategically to create quality training programmes designed to give people the most up to date skills to be able to enter the jobs markets and secure employment.
Funding
For many people and businesses particularly in the current climate the costs for training can seem like a luxury item. However, for some businesses the long-term cost of not upskilling your team and enabling them to use Automation software to maximise productivity, increase efficiencies leading to potential cost savings across the business maybe more costly.
At SOA part of our work to deliver training and make it accessible is to secure government funding to allow us to support individuals and businesses.
Through our contracts with Department for Education we can offer those who are unemployed Full Funding to undertake our 12-week training course.
For those people in work or employers who want to upskill their teams we have 70% Funding available to train your employees in Intelligent Automation skills.
The Future of Funding (UK)
Last month seen the UK Government change hands with the Conservative party making way for the new Labour government. As a training provider we watched this closely in the build up prior to election day intently listening to each side’s promises regarding skills and training investment. As we know Labour has taken the reigns and within days have announced a new body “Skills England” to work in partnership with the Department for Education.
The new Prime Minister and Education Secretary have announced the launch of Skills England to bring together the fractured skills landscape and create a shared national ambition to boost the nation’s skills.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “They will help to deliver our number one mission as a government, to kickstart economic growth, by opening up new opportunities for young people and enabling British businesses to recruit more home-grown talent”.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Our first mission in government is to grow the economy, and for that we need to harness the talents of all our people to unlock growth and break down the barriers to opportunity”
While the words we hear are encouraging in support for skills, training and opportunity, we as a training provider wait to hear the detail. A month ago, we were familiar with the current funding mechanisms and had an idea of what had been made available by the previous government for the next number of years. The shift in power in government will certainly bring new changes, of that, I’m sure. There has been talk of greater flexibility in using the Apprenticeship Levy for employers but currently we await the detail after a period of consultation with key organisations across the sector.
For now, our focus remains on providing skills and training within Intelligent Automation throughout 2024.
Professional training to those in work 70% funded.
Professional training and career pathways for those not in work 100% funded.