NHS 10-year digital plan: How to equip your workforce with data and AI skills

Proud to see QA Ltd partnering with the NHS to future proof its workforce and deliver on its 10 year plan for digital transformation. Tailored digital apprenticeships are at the heart of this with focus on delivering the right programme, to the right learners at the right time! #NHSTransformation #DigitalSkills #AIinHealthcare #Apprenticeships

As the NHS looks ahead, the message is clear: technology will lead the way. The new 10-Year Plan highlights the need to reduce admin time and embrace smart solutions - from automated systems to AI-driven decision making.  This shift means data and digital confidence are no longer nice-to-haves - they’re essential.  That’s where training & apprenticeships come in.  Join us for a live session on 10th September co-hosted by Lucy Hunte (NHS England) and Remit, where we’ll be unpacking the updated NHS Workforce Plan, due out in September. A key opportunity to explore what it means for apprenticeship strategy and workforce development. Register now🔗https://lnkd.in/esu59sTd

JFF, in partnership with The Corps Network, is proud to release a new report, “Strengthening Service-to-Career Pathways: Amplifying Successful Practices From The Corps Network" >> https://hubs.la/Q03JQbg00 For decades, service experiences—like those offered by Corps nationwide—have steadily and powerfully prepared young people for careers that offer strong opportunities for economic mobility. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as part of its Corps to Career Initiative, our new analysis shines a light on the value of service as a workforce strategy and calls for further scaling of these important programs. The report highlights: ✅ Promising workforce development practices offered by Corps programs ✅ Actionable recommendations to help other service programs enhance their workforce practices, embed more work-based learning, expand connections to apprenticeships, and scale service-to-career pathways for youth and young adults Too often, the role of service as a proven workforce training and career launchpad has been overlooked. If we want all youth and young adults to have access to strong career pathways, we must invest in high-quality on-ramps like these. 👏 A big thank you to all Corps programs that contributed curricula and training materials to inform the report findings, as well as The Brookings Institution and Urban Institute for their partnership in this important work. 📌 And if you missed it, our report goes hand-in-hand with a report released last week by Brookings, which underscores how Corps can serve as key talent pipelines for a wide range of increasingly important infrastructure jobs: https://hubs.la/Q03JQ8Ms0

So proud of my colleagues Vanessa Bennett and Maria del Mar Cabiya for their leadership on JFF’s new report with The Corps Network: Strengthening Service-to-Career Pathways. Their work shines a light on how service programs can be powerful on-ramps to careers—expanding work-based learning, connecting to apprenticeships, and building pathways that set young people up for long-term success. Check out the report here: https://hubs.la/Q03JQbg00

I’m proud to share our new report from Jobs for the Future (JFF): “Strengthening Service-to-Career Pathways: Amplifying Successful Practices From The Corps Network.” Service-to-career pathways are essential—they not only prepare young people for quality jobs in clean energy, natural resource management, water, and disaster response, but they also open doors to long-term career advancement and economic mobility. At a moment when we need bold workforce solutions, Corps programs show what is possible. This report highlights: ✅ Promising workforce development practices offered by Corps programs ✅ Examples of effective and innovative approaches to employer engagement and program design ✅ Actionable recommendations to help other service programs enhance their workforce practices, embed more work-based learning, expand connections to apprenticeships, and scale service-to-career pathways for youth and young adults I’m deeply grateful to my brilliant co-authors—Vanessa Bennett, Meredith Hills, and Amy D Prince—as well as our colleague Michelle Blundell. Your expertise and partnership made this work possible. Special thanks to the Annie E. Casey Foundation for their leadership in the Corps to Careers Initiative, and to The Corps Network, The Brookings Institution, and Urban Institute for your collaboration and thought partnership. Thank you to Mary Ellen Sprenkel, Bobby Tillett, Hannah Traverse, Sherrell Lizana, Joe Kane, Martha Ross, Nathan Sick, Shayne Spaulding, Sara Cooper, Allison Gerber, Ranita Jain, and Sarah Oldmixon for your leadership and vision for the work. 📣 Most importantly, thank you to the Corps programs nationwide that are building these pathways every day. Your work is ensuring that more youth and young adults can access meaningful careers and a brighter future.

UK ADULT SKILLS AGENDA MOVES TO DWP: What it means⬇️ The government has announced a significant shift in the delivery of the adult skills agenda. Apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training, and careers, as well as Skills England are moving from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Skills Minister Jacqui Smith will link policy across both departments, aligning skills more closely with employment and the labour market. Annette Allmark, BCS Executive Director, Awarding & Assessment, says: "It makes sense for the skills agenda to be in the DWP, as skills and employment are closely linked. It is our hope that this move will lead to more clarity and improved cross-departmental working to successfully deliver a skills agenda”. Julia Adamson MBE, BCS Executive Director, Education & Public Benefit, adds: "Digital skills are essential for everyone. It’s exciting to see how these changes can help close skills gaps, but it’s vital we focus on how to bridge the transition from education into employment.” This move, which follows the recent cabinet reshuffle, offers opportunities for more integrated skills policy – now the focus turns to how funding, delivery, and collaboration will be managed. #SkillsPolicy #DigitalSkills #WorkforceDevelopment #BCS

🔄 Shifting Ownership: DWP Takes Control of Apprenticeships As covered in FE Week (https://lnkd.in/e4CZUHFQ), Skills Minister Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith has confirmed that - as the dust settles on the ministerial reshuffle - apprenticeships policy and the apprenticeship levy will transfer from the Department for Education (DfE) to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) under Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP. Baroness Smith will work across both DfE and DWP. 📈 What's Moving: 🔹 Apprenticeship policy and levy management 🔹 Adult skills funding and programmes 🔹 Integration with Job Centre Plus services Baroness Smith describes this as giving "bigger emphasis on skills" and ensuring apprenticeships are "integrated into all of the labour market work on the ground." 💼 Key Insights for Employers with Earn & Learn Schemes: 🚀 Opportunities: 🔹 Stronger integration between skills policy and labour market initiatives 🔹 Enhanced connection to Job Centre Plus networks for recruitment 🔹 Cross-government approach breaking down departmental silos 🔹 Potential for more streamlined employer engagement ⚠️ Challenges: 🔸 Policy transition period may create uncertainty 🔸 New departmental priorities could shift funding focus 🔸 Established DfE relationships may need rebuilding within DWP 🔸 NEET reduction targets (948,000 young people aged 16-24) may influence programme direction The move positions apprenticeships more centrally within employment policy rather than education - a significant strategic shift that could reshape how earn and learn programmes are designed and delivered. #Apprenticeships #SkillsPolicy #EarnAndLearn #WorkBasedLearning #UKSkills

A quick update from us at Skills England - we are moving! The Prime Minister confirmed in a written ministerial statement yesterday that responsibility for apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training and careers, and Skills England, will move from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This will streamline and strengthen the government’s approach to adult employment and training, uniting skills development and employment support under one department. Skills England will continue to have a close link in to the Department for Education and the Skills Minister Jacqui Smith will serve jointly across both departments. https://orlo.uk/EiFdj

News in the skills sector, Skills England is moving to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This shift aims to better connect training with employment outcomes. Will this lead to more joined-up support for learners and employers? We’re optimistic and ready to play our part. #SkillsEngland #DWP #DigitalSkills #TrainingProvider #AdultEducation #WorkforceDevelopment #SkillsForJobs

📢 A significant shift in the skills landscape: Skills England will now sit within the Department for Work and Pensions, aligning adult education, training, and careers with employment support. This move signals a more joined-up approach to skills and workforce development, one we’ll be watching closely as it unfolds.