The good news is employers can still invest in these apprenticeships outside the levy - levy is a minimum not a maximum. Or there may be shorter courses that do the job that become eligible. Management & leadership is important. Doesn’t mean apprenticeships funded thru levy are answer.

"It's good that the apprenticeship budget is increasing, though this is broadly in line with growth in the amount the levy raises; the Treasury is still keeping £700m+ of levy funds above what it spends." Read @stephenevans.bsky.social's comments on apprenticeship budget increases in FE Week. ⬇️

Includes my comment that limiting spending by e.g. limiting level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22+ will help stay in budget. But won't make the Govt's desired pivot to more apprenticeships for young people. That needs broader action to help the near 1m YP not in education, employment or training

Thinking of a career in think tanks? We're hosting a webinar for undergraduates or those with similar experience interested in working in the sector. We'll have speakers from numerous organisations sharing their insight and experience. Register here 👉 buff.ly/a3cO0df

You still have until 20 February to apply for two exciting positions at L&W! ➡️ Deputy Director, Policy and Research (Better Work and Progression) ➡️ Head of Research: Qualitative Methods and Evaluation Find out more about the roles: learningandwork.org.uk/about-us/joi...

"Our future prosperity and business success is underpinned by skills. Time for us all to up our game." ✍️ In a new piece for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social's Spotlight on Policy, L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social explains four ways we can get employers to better engage with skills reform.

How do we help people in at risk occupations to change career? Join us to talk about it. [Add topical joke of your choice].

One to look out for - Family Resources Survey going to be linked to admin & could make a substantive difference to relative poverty measures. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

This is an excellent piece about the questions we need to understand re what’s going on in the labour market. Growing pains, shrinking pains, or something in between?

Our #DrivingChangeHE project, in partnership with Carers Federation, supported by @tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, has been supporting 23 universities to improve support for young adult carers. 🎓 ➡️ Explore our new infographic showing what has been achieved: learningandwork.org.uk/driving-chan...

Very pleased @learnworkuk.bsky.social is part of this initiative. Please spread the word to all who might be interested in working in a think tank or research organisation.

Interesting snippets in Bank of England inflation report. They think Brexit leaves potential productivity 3.25% lower by end 2028. That 3.25% wage growth is consistent with inflation target. And that more firms wage setting looks like bargaining outcomes than union membership implies.

Useful timeline of when different bits of the Employment Rights Act will take effect. www.gov.uk/government/p...

New data shows a further 14% drop so far this year in adults taking English & maths courses. All due to fewer apprentices doing so after Government removed the requirement. Reminder: 9m adults in England have low literacy or numeracy; it'll take 25 years for all to get help on current trends.

Apply to be the new Head of Research at L&W! In this role, you would lead innovative, impactful research and evaluation projects across our focus areas of employment and skills. 🔍 Think you'd be the right fit? Find out more and apply by 20 February. 📬

This is a very good idea, one @learnworkuk.bsky.social have called for since our 2020 Youth Commission. Helps for 58% of NEETs who’ve never had a paid job. Hopefully eligibility expands from current very narrow limits.

Register for our webinar: 'No train, no gain' 📺 This webinar will reflect on our research commissioned by Multiverse showing how access to in-work training can act as a boon for people’s pay and careers. 📆 Wednesday 11 March 🕑 1-2pm Register now: learningandwork.org.uk/events/no-tr...

Read L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comment on graduate unemployment in London in The Telegraph. 🗞️ “It does look like, on the face of it, that this is a kind of deterioration in the labour market in London.” www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...

Major @nuffieldfoundation.org funded research on the trajectory of high-achieving pupils at age 11 (from poorer & better-off families) through school into HE (or not). The class gap in entry to the Russel Group is very large, mostly (not exclusively) explained by attainment & seems to have narrowed

Read L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comment on cuts to skills bootcamps in @feweek.bsky.social. ⬇️🗞️

Not actually job losses (Outflows from HMRC employment) much, decline is in recruitment (Inflow to HMRC employment). Which predominantly affects young labour market entrants. But your points on Nat Ins. etc. may have affected recruitment more.

Why don’t people believe experts? A lot of public communication still relies on the deficit model. But this approach consistently fails, and here I explain why. For more science content follow my channel on YouTube > youtube.com/shorts/IkKdD...

9m adults in England have low literacy or numeracy. Yet our analysis shows 63% fewer people each year are taking courses to improve as funding cut. And @theifs.bsky.social analysis today shows we're spending 15-29% less per learner than in 2013-14. Not good for productivity or life chances.

"Looking ahead, slow growth and global instability increase the risks of rising worklessness, increasing the importance of the Government focusing on growth." ✍️ L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to today's labour market statistics released by ONS.

Labour market continues to ease & restructure; payroll employment down 150k in a year in retail & hospitality, up 52k in health & public admin. There are 5.4 people who want a job for every vacancy, up from 2.4 in post-pandemic crunch of 2022. Global events unlikely to help...

I won’t win any photography prizes, but very cool to see the Northern Lights tonight (much brighter on camera than with naked eye).

The latest USoc wave lets us split out the Covid years from what came after. So striking that they look the same! Average mental ill health (based on a general screening instrument) is no better now than during the lockdown years, at any age. @alexbryson.bsky.social @dannyblanchy.bsky.social

For those who want a broader perspective in their feed, a right-wing starter pack. Includes the six Tory MPs currently on BlueSky and a range of other think-tankers, ex-SpAds and journalists. go.bsky.app/JvKL6aE

In @feweek.bsky.social, L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social comments on West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s plans to phase out Skills Bootcamps in favour of Targeted Employment Programmes. ⬇️

England has twice as many apprenticeship occupational standards as Germany. Our economy is not twice as complicated. Time to slim down the proliferation of narrow & overlapping standards so apprenticeships & other quals prepare people for careers not just current jobs.

Great to see my forecasting contest featured in this morning's Playbook! Can you predict what will happen in 2026? Test your prediction skills using the link below: ⬇️ www.edrith.co.uk/p/2026-forec...

As with most economic downturns, young people are bearing the brunt of a falling employment rate. (Although the current episode of rising unemployment is not yet of equal scale to previous labour market downturns)

We're looking for a new Campaigns and Events Coordinator to join our team! 📣 In this role, you would provide coordination of and administrative support to our Get the Nation Learning campaign; regional adult learning awards; and L&W events. Find out more and apply by 1 February. 📝⬇️

Great e.g of voluntary, tailored, hyperlocal employment support, overseen/funded by @learnworkuk.bsky.social Youth Futures Foundation & DWP. Feels like DWP should focus on fast scaling of this kind of approach to tackle youth unemployment & inactivity. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

1. Creeping apprenticeship budget crunch? New data shows large firms are spending a growing % of their apprenticeship levy up from 47% to 56% latest, equiv to £300m+. System set up so large firm underspends broadly fund training for small firms. So this risks squeeze for SMEs.

Check out coverage of the progress #JobsPlus is making across England: 🗞️ The Sheffield Star: www.thestar.co.uk/news/politic... 🗞️ The London Post: london-post.co.uk/getting-lond... 🗞️The Darlington and Stockton Times: www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/2573504...

For Day 10 of #12DaysofLW, we're reflecting on our work with Pearson this year on the use of occupational standards in the UK. 🔍 ✍️ Read our new article by L&W's @stephenevans.bsky.social and Pearson's Donna Ford-Clarke on the findings: learningandwork.org.uk/news-and-pol...

We're #hiring! 👋 Interested in gaining insight into and contributing to L&W’s high-impact research, policy, and campaigning activity? Apply for our Research Intern position by Sunday 4 January. ⬇️✍️

The 11th and penultimate day of #12DaysofLW is on our work on the Youth Guarantee. Following our long-standing call for a Youth Guarantee, this year we have produced a series of reports exploring how it can be successful implemented. ✅ Read the reports: learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

"Every time I pull a lever" says the Prime Minister. This dead metaphor is killing his ability to get things done. There aren't any levers. There's only leadership. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/there-aren...

Here's one of my favourite charts from our briefing. You can see the labour market cooling through both falling vacancies (one measure of demand) & rising numbers out of work but wanting a job (recently driven by rising unemployment). Not going off a cliff, but worrying trends.

"Young people, with over one million not in work or full-time education, are among those most affected, and retail and hospitality have shed 129k payroll jobs in a year." Check out L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comment on today's labour market stats in @fenews.bsky.social. ⬇️

Read L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social's comment on today's labour market stats in @theguardian.com business live. ⬇️🗞️

Sign up to receive our full briefing later today: learningandwork.org.uk/supporter-ne... 🔗

"We need a twin approach of providing more help to find work and creating the conditions for employers to create jobs." ✍️ L&W Chief Executive @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to the labour market statistics released by ONS today.

Some worry signs in the labour market. Payroll jobs & employment heading down, with relatively large falls for retail & hospitality. Unemployment at its highest since the pandemic, partly reflecting more people looking for work (inactivity down) but suggesting they're struggling to find jobs.

Day 5️⃣ of #12DaysofLW reflects on our reports for the Commission for #HealthierWorkingLives. 📑 L&W, @employmentstudies.bsky.social and @rsph.bsky.social have worked in partnership to inform the commission led by @healthfoundation.bsky.social. Read the reports: learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

Good piece that's worth reading. Though worth noting they argue only 13% of the rise in disability benefit claims is due to cuts to other benefits. Substantial, but does leave 87%!

📑 Explore our report 'The Youth Guarantee and the benefits system' to find out more about the young people who risk missing out on support: learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re...

“It's urgent we ensure the other three in four NEETs don’t miss out on help.” In @peoplemanagement.bsky.social, @stephenevans.bsky.social calls the Government's Youth Guarantee a 'positive step' but highlights support being targeted at the one in four NEETs already receiving help from job centres.