Ambassador of apprenticeships and training in the KBB and merchant industries, Simon Acres Group has welcomed public training body Skills England to help avert a skills gap crisis.

Skills England will bring together central and local Government, businesses and training providers, to provide oversight of the post-16 skills system, aligned to the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

The body, launched by Prime Minister Kier Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months and will take over from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

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Simon Acres Group hosted an industry roundtable to discover the barriers to hiring apprentices, examine the issues and consider strategies to overcome them.

It found a lack of information, unfamiliarity with apprenticeship standards, uncertainty around costs, lack of training awareness and confusing jargon were the main issues.

The round table also discovered businesses were unaccustomed with apprenticeship training providers, unaware of the channels to hiring apprentices and unfamiliar with apprenticeship standards.

Further, the roundtable highlighted the perceived financial burden of hiring apprentices is a concern for many businesses, as is a lack of awareness of available grants.

Founder of Simon Acres Group, Simon Acres commented: “The new Skills England board is yet to be appointed and we absolutely need a team who will already understand the needs and will ensure proposals are presented clearly and without jargon.

“The first agreement to move two bodies into one is positive and helps to narrow down where information can be found.

He continued: “We wait for more information on replacing the apprenticeship levy with hopeful improvements for example, to simplify the gifting of apprenticeship funds.”

Simon Acres said the UK could learn from mainland European countries, stating: “The overall announcement seems very positive and would be great if initiatives such as in France are implemented, where general training is heavily subsidised to support the learning needs of our KBB and merchant industries.”