I've built a training academy to get people into trades - government red tape is the only thing holding me back

I think most people agree… Britain’s shortage of skilled tradespeople is hardly a new discovery, and governments of all colours have been saying so for years.

He's right that we need to rebuild the ladders of opportunity that once connected young people to skilled trades and well-paid careers. But more warm words and rousing speeches from Oxbridge-educated politicians about how young people need opportunities aren’t enough.

The frustrating reality is that while government talks about apprenticeships and technical education, training providers and businesses willing to invest and deliver are often tied up in endless bureaucracy.

I am a plumbing and heating engineer by trade, and everything I have achieved has been built on the opportunities that industry gave me. I didn't follow a traditional academic path; instead, I learned a skilled trade, built a profession, and ultimately created a business that now employs tradespeople and apprentices of its own. Those skills gave me a future, which is why I'm passionate about creating the same opportunities for young people who want to build a career through the trades.

I have just invested £700,000 in a new training academy to upskill adults and give youngsters the hands-on training and classroom education needed in domestic and commercial gas, LPG, OFTEC oil, water, electrical and renewable technologies, including air source heat pumps.

Our academy is ready to provide high-quality apprenticeships, but obtaining approval to become an accredited provider is taking far too long. If the country faces a skills crisis, why are we making organisations wait months, sometimes years, before they can help solve it?

The first thing Burnham’s government should do is dramatically speed up the accreditation process for apprenticeship providers. Rigorous standards matter, but excessive red tape helps nobody, and every month that approval is delayed is another month that young people miss out on opportunities and employers miss out on talent.

The second requirement is certainty. Burnham talks about a ten-year plan to transform technical education, and that's exactly the right timescale. But if we're going to think in decades, government funding has to do the same.

Apprenticeships are a major investment, particularly for SMEs. Employers take them on because they believe in developing talent, but funding support helps offset the cost of training and supervision in those early years.

What we need is a long-term, ring-fenced apprenticeship funding settlement that lasts for at least ten years. A pupil starting secondary school today should be able to look ahead and know that technical pathways will still be available when they leave. Employers need the same confidence before they commit to taking on apprentices.

Finally, government must ensure that apprenticeship standards are shaped not only by large national contractors but by the thousands of SMEs that form the backbone of the British economy. Too often, training programmes are designed around the needs of major corporations and Tier 1 contractors. Yet it is SMEs that employ millions of people, deliver services in every community and provide many of the apprenticeship opportunities available to young people. These businesses know what skills are actually needed on site, in workshops and in real working environments. Their voices must be at the centre of shaping future qualifications.

I think Andy should bin the ambition to “value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap” because we already do. What we actually need is a government that values hard graft as much as the graduation cap, and a system that works for trainers and trainees.

Fast-track provider approvals. Guarantee funding for the long term. Put SMEs at the heart of course design.

Do those three things, and we'll give today's young people something far more valuable than a slogan: a clear path from the classroom to a rewarding career, backed by employers ready to invest in their future.

____________________

Johnathan McKenna is the CEO of Macbrook Group

LBC Opinion provides a platform for diverse opinions on current affairs and matters of public interest.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official LBC position.

To contact us email opinion@lbc.co.uk