The National Retraining Scheme is the government's new programme, developed alongside the TUC and CBI through the National Retraining Partnership, to prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation.

This is crucial as the labour market is transformed by technology and automation in the coming years.



The launch of the first phase of the National Retraining Scheme marks the beginning of a new collaborative approach - opening retraining up to many more adults, and preparing them for the jobs of the future.

This initiative aims to help individuals gain the skills they need to move into new occupations and more stable, better jobs. The programme focuses on adults aged 24 and over, without a degree, and earning below a specified salary threshold, whose jobs are at risk of changing due to future changes in the economy.

The first element of the National Retraining Scheme to be launched is the Get Help to Retrain digital service, and we're delighted that this is being rolled out in the North East LEP area from today (Tuesday).

The Get Help to Retrain digital service will help adults identify their existing skills, find training courses to gain the skills they need to progress and explore local job opportunities.

It should be noted that this initial rollout involves eligible adults being 'invited to trial the new service' in certain workplaces, so that it can be developed and fully evaluated, before being scaled up and rolled out to other areas in the coming months.

A series of additional products that will make up the full service are being developed and tested in parallel, before being released at different times.

Union learning reps will play a key role in supporting workers to access the advice and retraining opportunities made available through the scheme.

This is just the beginning. The challenge for the National Retraining Partnership is to develop a national programme that invests in the potential of all workers, delivering the skills we need to compete in the growth sectors of the future.