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The UK government has authorised plans to train over 120,000 builders, engineers and care workers to cut down the country’s dependence on foreign labour as the Keir Starmer-led government moves to curb immigration.
The administration has allocated $4.1 billion to offer new apprenticeships, according to an official release on Tuesday. A 32 per cent hike in the Immigration Skills Charge, a fee paid by employers who sponsor skilled foreign workers, is expected to fund 45,000 additional training spots in sectors like construction and social care, which rely significantly on migrant labour. The government is also supporting initiatives aimed at adult education.
Tuesday’s statement said a planned 32 per cent rise in the immigration skills charge, designed to dissuade businesses from hiring foreign workers, would deliver up to 45,000 additional training places to “upskill the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on migration” in priority sectors.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said, “We’re taking our responsibility seriously providing more routes into employment.”
Businesses have said they cannot hire enough staff locally, warning that the tougher rules would harm the economy unless they were accompanied by a fundamental overhaul of the country’s skills training system.
Britain’s PM Starmer has a two-pronged task ahead of him: to boost the indigenous workforce, all while clamping down on migration. His Labour Party has recently announced that the government will increase its English-speaking requirement for overseas workers which will eventually make it harder for migrants to stay in the country.
A recent analysis by Boston Consulting Group warned that the UK’s supply chains could be strained by the $1.2 trillion in public and private infrastructure investment projected by the end of 2029. The report advised expanding the shortage occupations list to ease recruitment of overseas workers and suggested loosening English language requirements for key visa categories.
With inputs from agencies
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