It began, like many policy conversations, with good intentions. Skills gaps were identified. Training programmes were launched. Partnerships were formed between employers and education providers. And yet, years later, UK industries are still struggling to find people with the right capabilities — not just in niche roles, but across entire functions.
We have not failed for lack of effort. We’ve failed because we keep asking the wrong questions.
It is time to move beyond generic diagnostics and begin addressing the structural issues that lie beneath the surface of the so-called “skills crisis”.
Employers often describe their recruitment difficulties as “a pipeline problem” — a lack of graduates, a shortage of apprentices, too few technical colleges offering relevant qualifications. These claims are not entirely without merit.
But the fixation on pipeline overlooks an inconvenient truth: many organisations don’t actually retain the people they train. It is not uncommon for companies to complain about the quality of the talent pool, only to underinvest in those they do hire — offering limited development, poor internal mobility, or unclear routes to progression.
One FTSE-listed construction firm that invested heavily in upskilling its site managers in 2021 found itself re-advertising the same roles within 18 months. Exit interviews revealed that while the training had been welcomed, a lack of follow-on development and poor line management made retention untenable.
British employers tend to adopt a reactive posture to workforce capability. Rather than mapping out long-term strategic needs, many operate on a just-in-time model: addressing skill shortages when they become acute rather than preventing them.
Contrast this with the approach taken by leading pharmaceutical groups. GSK, for example, has implemented strategic workforce planning models that identify capability risks several years ahead — especially in areas such as regulatory affairs and digital medicine. These projections aren’t just theoretical; they guide hiring and training priorities across the business.
Planning five years ahead isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity — particularly in sectors facing fast technological disruption.
Policymakers frequently invoke the promise of “upskilling the nation” as a catch-all solution. The sentiment is admirable. But upskilling only works if the roles themselves are fit for purpose — and if organisations are prepared to evolve alongside their workforce.
One financial institution based in Birmingham launched a major digital skills programme in 2022 to reskill back-office staff displaced by automation. While the technical training was successful, those staff were offered no meaningful advancement or responsibility afterwards. Many left within six months, taking their newly acquired skills elsewhere.
If employers are not willing to match capability-building with opportunity, upskilling becomes philanthropy — not strategy.
First, businesses must stop framing the skills gap as someone else’s failure. The education system has a role to play, yes. But so does industry — particularly when it comes to designing roles that are desirable, sustainable, and developable.
Second, the recruitment conversation needs to shift away from experience alone and focus more clearly on capability. Hiring managers frequently pass over adaptable, trainable individuals in favour of someone who’s “done it before”. That approach is understandable — but it is also short-sighted.
Third, training budgets must be tied to workforce planning, not compliance. Far too often, learning and development becomes reactive or generic. If training is not linked to emerging commercial needs, it becomes shelfware — expensive, but ineffectual.
Finally, government interventions — like the Apprenticeship Levy — must be reformed to support smaller firms more flexibly. Currently, many SMEs cannot access funds in a way that aligns with how they operate. The result is money returned to the Treasury while employers continue to struggle.
The conversation about skills in Britain is overdue for recalibration. The data tells us what we already know: there are shortages. But if we continue to approach those shortages with outdated tools and shallow assumptions, the problem won’t just persist — it will worsen.
Solving this requires employers to do more than point at schools, funding models, or jobseekers. It requires them to examine how they define work, support capability, and make the workplace worth staying in.
The skills aren’t always missing. Sometimes, they’re simply walking away.
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