Lords Committee to quiz Education Minister on addressing the STEM skills gap in the UK
Monday 7 November 2022
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee will hold the final evidence session of its current inquiry by hearing from the Minister of State in the Department for Education, the Rt Hon Robert Halfon, MP. The session will explore the skills gap in the UK, and current policies to address it.
The session will take place on Tuesday 8 November at 10.15am and can be attended in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster or viewed live on Parliament TV.
The committee will hear from:
10:15am
- Rt Hon Robert Halfon MP, Minister of State, Department for Education.
The inquiry so far has heard evidence that there is a significant STEM skills gap, as well as suggestions of how skills training opportunities in the UK could be improved. We have heard evidence on the declining enrolment in apprenticeships and adult education in recent years, the need for more modular and flexible courses, and the Government’s schemes to try to address these deficits, including the Lifelong Learning Entitlement and the introduction of T-Levels.
Possible question areas
- How well the Government understands the skills deficit, including how it assesses which skills will be needed in the future
- The Government’s approach to ensuring training and reskilling are available to those who need it
- The scale of reskilling and retraining efforts and whether current policies are sufficient to meet skills gaps
- The “missing middle” of technical skills and technician skills at levels 3–5
- The Government’s approach to ensuring there are a sufficient number of skilled teachers and trainers to address the skills deficit
- The extent of co-ordination between Government departments on the issues relating to skills
