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Sadiq Khan wants London to take control of its skills needs and here's how he plans to do it

The government is facing renewed calls from the Mayor of London to give London more direct control over skills development and education priorities to help the city remain competitive on the global stage following Brexit.

Stressing the need for skills devolution for City Hall, the Mayor claims that London’s predominant position as global hub, which was only strengthened in this week’s Global Power City index where it ranked top, will be seriously under threat if it is unable to determine its own skills and education priorities.

It comes after continued concerns that the capital’s biggest industries, including tech and finance, will struggle to fill high skilled positions if stringent immigration controls following Brexit negotiations stem the flow of high skilled workers from the EU and elsewhere.

According to Khan, skills shortage vacancies in London have more than doubled in the last four years, from 14,000 in 2011 to 37,000 in 2015, and are likely to worsen owing to the uncertainty surrounding the UK’s relationship with the EU.

“The uncertainty around Brexit means it is critical we have a strong skills base with a good mix of local and global talent to both retain and attract business,” said Khan.

By devolving skills funding, he said, City Hall will be able to work with businesses in the capital to identify their changing priorities and upskill the capital’s workers in areas of greatest need.

Making the case to the Treasury and Department of Education, Khan has outlined the powers which he believes should be devolved to City Hall and help London nurture more skills and homegrown talent to fill any skills shortage brought about by the UK leaving the EU.

These include more powers to develop a homegrown skills pipeline to equip London workers with the skills that businesses need to maintain their growth, and power over funding for post-16 skills to maintain a strategic approach to youth employment and education.

Other demands include further funding to replace the European Social Fund, which provides important investment in skills and employment programmes, once Britain leaves the EU, and the devolution of further education funding.

To help identify the capital’s skills priorities, the Mayor has also announced that City Hall is launching a Skills for Londoners taskforce, which will be charged with developing a city-wide approach to skills mapping to help better understand the needs of London’s employers.

Khan added: “I am the Mayor to lead a new skills agenda for London and it’s important we give businesses the confidence that London will continue to deliver for them and we’re doing all we can to build and protect the skills base they need to thrive.”

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