Today half of our country’s university grads are able only to tread water. The era of aspiration appears to be over, and the Prime Minister has a rapidly shrinking window to change that perception before the election.
Skills shortages are directly linked to transport shortages. It is possible that better transport connections linking our small towns to our major cities could do more for productivity and employment than almost any other initiative.
The NHS which has seen its productivity collapse, and is facing enormous cost pressures as the population ages, must surely be first in line for the application of the tools as they emerge.
Moreover, how to do so without confronting any hard trade-offs or admitting any fundamental shortcomings with the UK’s economic model after 13 years of the party being in government.
As we live and work for longer, good work is vital to provide a better later life. We believe that government and employers both have a role to play in enabling good work for the benefit of the economy, businesses and individuals.
Without understanding what parts of the status quo are propped up by the mass import of people, and how, and why, any move to cut headline numbers is going to run aground on the consequences of so doing.
We set out our plan in Policy Exchange’s latest report, What do we Want from the King’s Speech, along with proposals for 13 other Bills.
Too much sports funding is directed to glamorous and competitive indoor activities, rather than ones which foster resilience and build character.
Making older housing affordable to heat would both bills and our reliance on Russian gas, as well as creating the forward-looking careers that will drive the growth we sorely need.
The second of three articles this week as our project continues over the summer and autumn.
Better skills not only improve the earning power of families, they also drive aspiration, social mobility, and ambition, while rewarding those who work hard – all fundamental Conservative values.
Apprenticeships have been an essential part of precision manufacturing for decades, but in much of our country it’s the degree scroll and the graduation ceremony that have become the hallmark of success.
In many places that need levelling up, the real unemployment rate exceeds the number of job vacancies; labour supply is a greater problem in the South.
There is next to no support among its ranks in the Commons for more immigration, liberalising planning law and improving access to European markets.
By offering 16-year-olds either the ‘ABS’ or the ‘ABS occupational’ route, we are maintaining the siloed, twin-track system we have currently, risking that all-important parity we have worked so hard to build.