- Lifetime Skills Guarantee to give adults the chance to take free college courses at colleges across the country, including Burnley College.
- New entitlement to flexible loans to allow courses to be taken in segments, boosting opportunities to retrain and enhance technical skills
- PM acts to boost productivity and help the country build back better from coronavirus
People across Burnley and Padiham will get the chance to retrain and find new, well-paid jobs as part of the Government’s new Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
The plans, unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a speech yesterday will provide adults in England without an A-Level or equivalent qualifications the opportunity to take up a free, fully-funded college course.
Alongside this, the government is also making higher education loans more flexible, allowing people to space out their study across their lifetimes and take more high-quality vocational courses.
Local MP Antony Higginbotham said he was pleased the scheme has been created to help in the plan to ‘Build Back Better’ across the country.
He said:
Technology is changing the way we do things rapidly, with more use of artificial intelligence, robotics and digital tools. And as I said in the General Election campaign, it's therefore essential that we're giving people the knowledge needed to succeed in the 21st century. This Lifetime Skills Guarantee from the Prime Minister is therefore very positive.
It means that from April any adult without A levels, or equivalent qualifications will have the opportunity to take up a free, fully funded college course which will help them gain the skills they need to either find a job or create one.
We’re well equipped in Burnley and Padiham with the outstanding facilities we have at Burnley College. Our plan to level up has never been as important and this is just another step.
As well as offering college courses from April, the Lifetime Skills Guarantee will make higher education loans more flexible, allowing young people to choose the length and type of course that is right for them. There will also be more investment in college buildings and an £8 million commitment for digital skills boot camps; expanding successful pilots in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands and introducing programmes in four new locations.
In his speech on the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Prime Minister said he wants to give people the skills to find and create new and better jobs, adding that the government will help them get the skills they need, transforming the foundations of the skills system so everyone has the chance to train and retrain.
