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The government subsidises higher education in England by offering a specified number of students guaranteed access to loans with favourable terms and conditions. At present, students do not have to start making any repayments on their loans until they are out of higher education and are earning above a certain amount per annum. These loans are time limited and any outstanding debt is written off after 30 years. By providing favourable terms and conditions on student loans, the government loses a considerable proportion of the amount loaned. This report highlights a number of weaknesses in the management of this key financial commitment amidst concerns that the government is rapidly approaching a tipping point for the financial viability of the student loans system. Recommendations are proposed to address this issue.

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The Government's productivity plan was launched in July 2015. The Government considers it to be the 'first devoted sign of such a specific commitment to all the issues that are relevant for productivity'. The Committee's inquiry into the productivity plan found that the document has been described by many businesses as being too vague and long a document to be practical, and that its lack of specific and measurable policies means that there is a risk that the document is destined to collect dust on bookshelves across Whitehall. [The Committee has] recommended that the Government produces a clear supplementary document outlining the proposed implementation and measure of success of each policy in the productivity plan. The productivity plan is a long and broad document. The Committee's inquiry has looked at the three main themes of skills, innovation and investment. This report makes recommendations with the objective of seeing the productivity plan succeed and to add value to the policies of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

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There are many adults in [Great Britain] who have low levels of literacy and numeracy skills - young and old, in and out of work, with and without children - who are trying to live their lives without the skills that many people take for granted. This low level of literacy and numeracy among adults needs to be tackled, not least for those adults who may be trapped in a cycle of either low-skilled jobs or unemployment. The Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee at the House of Commons explored why the issue of low literacy and numeracy skills has failed to previously be addressed adequately, and what more the government could do to help improve standards in reading, writing and maths for adults across the country.

This report outlines: the measurements used to define the level at which adults are in literacy and numeracy; the people who teach literacy and numeracy, including organisations, charities and volunteers, and how easy it is to find out about this help and how it is financed; the work done on raising literacy and numeracy skills in the Army, in prisons, and for homeless people; how learning can be carried out within communities and in the workplace; and the different people working in the government who are involved in raising and supporting this issue.

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The Education Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee have agreed to carry out joint work on the contribution that education and skills make to productivity. In preparation for this work, the Committees jointly commissioned research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), which undertook a review of the literature on the main channels of influence by which education and skills appear to affect economic performance. The research compared the role played by education and training institutions, including schools, and the vocational systems in the following countries: United Kingdom; United States of America; France; and Germany. The research, written by Geoff Mason and Ana Rincon-Aznar of NIESR, is published as an appendix to this report.

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Last year, the UK government invested [GBP] 1.2 billion into the apprenticeships program. The same year saw 457,200 people start new training as an apprentice. These figures demonstrate the significance and importance of the apprenticeship scheme to the UK economy. The skills development of the workforce is a key component of long-term sustainable economic growth. It is therefore vital that the apprenticeship program is fit for purpose and delivers a workforce which reflects the needs of employers. In particular, the UK cannot be satisfied with only providing entry level apprenticeships. Together, government, employers and schools need to be far more ambitious in expanding and delivering higher and advanced apprenticeships. The government has made apprenticeships a priority. However, there remain areas of the apprenticeship program which need reform. This report covers a wide range of issues relating to apprenticeships including government policy, delivery and funding, the engagement of apprentices and employers, quality, value for money and objectives of the program.

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This report calls on the UK government to do more to tackle female under-representation in certain sectors of the economy. The report also urges government to address the lack of comprehensive careers advice and set targets for encouraging women into apprenticeship sectors where they are currently under-represented. The report also proposes that the government take concerted action to improve female representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Show less