Queen’s Speech: Boris Johnson promises post-Covid skills boost
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is promising a skills “revolution” for England, making it easier for adults to retrain following the economic slump sparked by Covid-19.
The Queen’s Speech today, which sets out the government’s plan for the next year, will outline loans for adults to retrain as well as more powers to deal with failing colleges.
It is also expected to include promises to overhaul the asylum system and reform planning laws in England, the BBC reported.
The government is set to make the country’s recovery from the pandemic its main priority after the economy crashed 9.9 per cent last year.
In the speech, which is written by ministers but delivered by the Queen, it will pledge a “lifetime skills guarantee”.
All adults will be entitled to access a loan for higher-level education and training at university or college.
This will provide the equivalent of up to four years’ study and can be used at any point for full-time or part-time courses.
Businesses and trainers will also be encouraged to form partnerships to meet “local needs in sectors including construction, digital, clean energy and manufacturing”.
Among a raft of other proposals, the speech is also set to include a commitment to introducing voter ID for future general elections — a move that has raised concerns among MPs and civil rights groups.
In a statement ahead of the speech Boris Johnson said: “These new laws are the rocket fuel that we need to level up this country and ensure equal opportunities for all. We know that having the right skills and training is the route to better, well-paid jobs.
“I’m revolutionising the system so we can move past the outdated notion that there is only one route up the career ladder, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to retrain or upskill at any point in their lives.”
The Queen’s Speech, which forms part of the State Opening of Parliament, will be scaled down this year as a result of the pandemic, with fewer MPs and peers gathering in the Lords to hear it.
It will be the monarch’s first major public engagement since the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.