MAKING MIGRATION WORK: Labour market and skills solutions

Transcription

1 NIACE Policy Solutions Issue 2 Mar 2015 The National Voice for Lifelong Learning MAKING MIGRATION WORK: Labour market and skills solutions Policy Solutions Number 2 March 2015

2 The NIACE Policy Solution Series brings fresh thinking and new ideas to key challenges in public policy. We focus on issues where learning, skills and employment policies can help achieve inclusive economic growth, better educational outcomes, higher employment, improvements in productivity, better health and well-being, social inclusion, tolerance and cohesion and community and citizen engagement. Our Policy Solutions examine and analyse the evidence from our own research as well as others' and propose new policies and approaches. We have a strong focus on practical and simple proposals for how policy can work in practice, using our networks and engagement with thousands of practitioners in the employment, learning and skills arenas. Our overall aim is to generate interest and debate in how public policy can be improved and how policy can be implemented to help deliver a more inclusive, fairer and successful society. To see more of our policy solutions visit

3 & SUMMARY Migration is an important part of our society and the evidence clearly demonstrates that migration has contributed socially and economically over many centuries to the Britain we know today. However, much of the discourse about migration focuses on the negative concerns about the level and impact of migration at the expense of reasoned debate about the public policies which could help maximise the benefits. We believe that employment and skills policies need to change to unlock the skills of both migrants and UK residents, to ensure we better meet the needs of our businesses and to nurture and support greater community cohesion. Informing the debate The overwhelming evidence is that migration has been beneficial to our economy, with little if any negative impact on wages and jobs for people already here. In contrast to media perceptions about negative impacts on jobs and benefit tourism the evidence suggests the contrary: & While migration has grown, with net migration averaging 215,000 per annum in the last 4 years, so has the number of jobs in our economy. Numbers of British workers in employment increased by 375,000 in 2014 while an extra 239,000 non-uk nationals were working in Britain & Immigrants who have arrived in Britain since 2000 were 43% less likely than the UK-born population to receive state benefits or tax credits & EU migrants alone contribute net 20bn to the UK s GDP and 63% are qualified to degree level However, it is also clear that migration has increased pressure on local services and infrastructure. This inevitably affects community cohesion and needs to be addressed by public policy. Skills and Employment policy is falling short A flurry of recent reports stress the need to tackle the UK s growing skills gaps and shortages if we are to have sustained economic growth. Migration has to be part of the solution as well as more effective policies to support the skills of young people and the UK-born existing workforce. Current employment and skills policies are not working though, to help unlock the benefits of migration. What we see is: & Decreasing supply, quality and take up of English language learning, compounded by a large shortfall in funding & Poor utilisation of migrants existing skills due to poor advice and guidance and lack of recognition of their qualifications & An immigration cap that prevents our businesses capitalising on the skills of students from overseas and high skilled migrants. Beyond this, public policy needs to do more to support community cohesion, including: & Supporting local communities to address local services and infrastructure strains & Resourcing local authorities to support community resilience and cohesion & Helping all low paid workers to access opportunities to progress in their careers This paper provides a positive contribution to the migration debate and proposes a number of policy solutions that will help to maximise the benefits of migration. We need to get this right to have sustained economic growth and to maintain our reputation as a tolerant, welcoming and cohesive country. 3

4 Making the case for language learning #1 Tani Al Atwani, West Midlands Tani arrived in the UK from Iraq in 2006 having left his family behind. Understanding no English, he struggled with daily life but knew he needed to learn the language so that he could buy groceries, follow cookery recipes and visit the doctor. With that in mind, Tani began learning English at South Birmingham College and has gained City & Guilds ESOL qualifications from entry level one through to level two a total of five qualifications. Tani, who later progressed to studying numeracy level two, said I do feel a sense of pride in being able to speak English. I have built a home here and believe I have a civic duty to learn the language of my country. I especially believe that learning the language has helped me to become independent. Tutor Sardul agreed: Tani is an example to us all in that learning can be of relevance to people at any age and from any background. 4

5 1. HOW IS MIGRATION WORKING? The employment, learning & skills challenges

6 & 1: HOW IS MIGRATION WORKING? Migration has made an important contribution to Britain s development, economically and socially - contributing over many centuries to making Britain a diverse and outward-facing country. However, the public debate is often negative, sometimes ill-informed and focused more on concerns over jobs, housing, public service provision and the overall numbers of migrants. This chapter analyses the facts, moving on from the discussion on numbers, which often clouds the debate, to concentrate on understanding impact with a particular focus on employment, learning and skills. Understanding the facts on migration Between 1991 and 2013, immigration in the UK rose by 60%, from 329,000 in 1991 to 526,000 in Net annual migration has also seen a dramatic rise, from an average of 37,000 per annum between to over 215,000 per annum between These numbers say nothing about the impact of migration but do influence public perception, particularly in communities with higher levels of migrant residents. Public understanding of the scale and nature of migration, and media reporting, often differs markedly from the reality. Immigration is now consistently ranked in polling as the general public s most important issue, often above the economy. A majority of the public believes that the number of immigrants coming to the UK is too high and that immigration is more of a problem than an opportunity 2. Overcoming these perceptions presents a significant challenge to policy makers. Recent analysis by Dustmann and Frattini 3 has gone further than most to understand the benefits and costs of migration. They highlighted the positive net fiscal contribution of recent immigrant cohorts (those arriving since 2000). Migrants from the A10 4 countries have contributed almost 5bn and those from the rest of the EU 15bn. Over the same period, the net fiscal contribution of the UK-born population was negative, amounting to almost - 617bn. Migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) made a negative contribution to the public purse of billion. Their analysis concluded that recent migrants tend to bring positive net contribution due to their higher than average labour market participation rates, compared with the domestic population, and their lower receipt of welfare benefits. Their report also sought to challenge popular misconceptions around access to benefits and housing. They found that EU immigrants who have arrived in Britain since 2000 were 43% less likely than the UK-born population to receive state benefits or tax credits and also 7% less likely to live in social housing 5. Public understanding of the scale of migration differs from the reality The overall positive economic impact is experienced differently in local communities because of the unequal destinations of migrants. Over the last census period the non-uk-born population in England and Wales increased by almost 2.9 million 6, however, three quarters of this increase occurred in just over a quarter of all local authority areas. This is why local services and infrastructure issues become so important. 1 HoC Library, Migration Statistics, (December 2014) 2 Scott Blinder, UK public opinion toward immigration: overall attitudes and level of concern (2014) 3 Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini, UCL, The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK (Nov 2014) 4 A8 Countries are: Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia and Hungary A10 Countries are A8 plus Malta and Cyprus A2 Countries are Romania and Bulgaria 5 Dustmann and Tommaso (UCL 2014) 6 Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by Migration Advisory Committee (2014). Migrants in low-skilled work The growth of EU and non-eu labour in low-skilled jobs and its impact on the UK. (July 2014) 6

7 MAKING MIGRATION WORK NIACE Policy Solutions Issue 2 Mar 2015 Measuring Labour Market Effects of Migration Analysis of the labour market effects of immigration has a number of methodological challenges. For example, migrants often move to areas of strong economic growth and labour demand. This makes it difficult to untangle cause and effect in terms of changes in wages and employment. Another problem is that international immigration into a particular area may cause some workers to leave and migrate to other parts of the country or abroad. Whenever this happens, the labour market effects are dissipated across the country, which makes correct measurement through local labour market analysis more difficult. What do we know about migrants and work? The evidence shows that immigrants are better educated and younger than their UK-born counterparts, especially those from the EU15 (the members before the 2004 EU enlargement) 7. There is also a larger than average share of immigrants compared to the UK-born population working in professional occupations (47.3% vs 33%) 8. However, reflecting the hollowed-out nature of the UK labour market (where there are declining volumes of midranked jobs), there are also more A8 9 immigrants than average in processing and elementary occupations 10. This occupational mix in both high-skilled and less skilled jobs is reflected in the distribution of immigrants across sectors and industries. The health, hotel and restaurant sector employs more migrant workers than other sectors, while the energy, agriculture and public administration sectors employ relatively fewer migrant workers. EU15 migrants are concentrated in the finance sector 11. Understanding labour market impact The main motivation for migrants coming to the UK is for work, as stated by 76 per cent of migrants from the EU. Perhaps this is why the UK is the only EU country to have a lower unemployment rate for migrants than nationals (7.5 per cent to 7.9 per cent respectively) 12. Table 1: Occupational distribution of Immigrants and UK-born, 2014 Managerial Professional Assistant professional Administrative Skilled trades Personal service Sales Processing Elementary Source: Labour Force Survey % of UK-born % of immigrants Table 2: Industrial distribution of immigrants and UK-born, 2013 Agriculture Manufacturing Energy Construction Retail Hotels and restaurants Transport Finance Public administration Education Health Other UK-born immigrants % of occupation who are immigrants % of industry who are immigrants Source: Labour Force Survey 7 Immigration and the UK Labour Market, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science. (March 2015) 8 Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by Migration Advisory Committee (2014). 9 A8 Countries are: Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia and Hungary A10 Countries are A8 plus Malta and Cyprus A2 Countries are Romania and Bulgaria 10 Immigration and the UK Labour Market, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science. (March 2015) 11 Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by Migration Advisory Committee (2014). 12 Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by Migration Advisory Committee (2014). 7

8 Analysis consistently shows that at national level the employment rate of the UK-born population is not adversely affected by immigration and has remained largely unchanged since EU expansion in Instead, the total number of jobs in the economy has increased, as numbers of new migrants have entered the UK. The number of British workers in employment increased by 375,000 in 2014 while an extra 239,000 non-uk nationals were working in Britain. Our 31 million labour force is now made up of 28 million British citizens and 3 million non-uk citizens 13. The evidence about local labour market impact of migration is harder to interpret. Analysis by the Migration Advisory Council (MAC) into the distribution of migrants in low-skilled work showed significant differences between EU and non-eu migrants. Non-EU migrants are most likely to be situated in London, EU migrants are much more dispersed. Newham in London has the greatest share of non-eu migrants with 53 per cent of the population working in low-skilled jobs originating from non-eu countries. By contrast, Boston, in the East Midlands, had the highest share of EU migrants, equivalent to a quarter of the local adult population working in low-skilled jobs 14. The MAC analysis also found that there is no consistent pattern of impact on the local labour markets across those areas with a high share of migrants. Each local area therefore needs to be considered individually to assess the true impact of migration. The following diagram (Figure 2), using analysis of Labour Force Survey data by the Centre for Economic Performance at LSE 15, plots the change in each county s unemployment rate for UK-born workers against the change in its immigration share between 2004 and Each dot represents a county. The black line summarises the strength or otherwise of the relationship. The flatter the black line, the weaker any correlation. This analysis shows the almost complete lack of correlation between changes in the UKborn born unemployment rate and changes in immigration. The analysis also shows that there is no evidence of any association between changes in the less skilled (defined as those who left school at age 16) UK-born youth NEET ( not in education, employment or training ) rate and changes in the share of immigrants. Counties that experienced the largest rises in immigrants experienced neither larger nor smaller rises in UK-born-born unemployment. Dustmann et al 16 analysed the effects of immigration on workers within specific wage ranges and occupations. They found that the greatest wage effects are found for low-waged workers, where each 1% increase in the share of migrants in the UK-born working age population leads to a 0.6% decline in the wages of the 5% lowest paid workers and to an increase in the wages of higher paid workers. Similarly, another study focusing on wage effects at the occupational level during 1992 and 2006, found that, in the unskilled and semi-skilled service sector, a 1% rise in the share of migrants reduced average wages in that occupation by 0.5% Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by the Guardian: (18 Feb 2015) 14 Labour Force Survey (Crown Copyright) - analysis by Migration Advisory Committee (2014). 15 Immigration and the UK Labour Market, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science. (March 2015) 16 Christian Dustmann and Tommaso Frattini, UCL, The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK (Nov 2014) 17 Stephen Nickell and Jumana Saleheen, The Impact of Immigration on Occupational Wages: Evidence from Britain (2008) 8

9 Migration & benefits - what's the story? Public policy on migration, over the course of this parliament, has tended towards assuaging public and media concerns about numbers. Over the past 12 months both the Government and other parties have proposed policy aimed at combatting perceived benefit tourism, in particular with the aim of reducing the eligibility of EU migrants to draw down benefits. This is despite the evidence showing that less than 5% of EU migrants claim Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and less than 8% claim in-work benefits 18. Migration and Benefits: The rules Jobseekers from the European Economic Area (EEA) need to wait 3 months before they can claim for Jobseekers Allowance, child benefit and child tax credits. To stay longer than three months, they have to be in work, actively seeking work, or have a genuine chance of being hired. Or they have to prove that they have the resources to remain without being a burden on public services. EU migrants cannot automatically claim benefits after three months. They have to pass a habitual residence test under EU law. Even if they pass this, they can then claim Jobseekers Allowance for six months after that, only those with a job offer or proof they are likely to find work are allowed to continue claiming. On top of the tests required under EU law, the UK applies an additional test: the right to reside. Migration and Benefits: The reality Less than 5 per cent of EU migrants are claiming Jobseekers Allowance. EU migrants make up 5.6 per cent of the workforce - families with at least one EU migrant make up 7.7 per cent of tax credit claims. Those who have arrived in Britain since 2000 were 43% less likely than UK-borns to receive state benefits or tax credits and also 7% less likely to live in social housing. Migrants to the UK make a net contribution, as they pay more in taxes than they take out in benefits - 20bn from European migrants alone. There are similar levels of UK nationals and foreign-born individuals living in social housing: 17 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively. From April last year, new EEA migrant jobseekers have no longer been allowed housing benefit. 18 House of Commons Library, Statistics on migrants and benefits, Commons library standard note, (November 2014) 9

10 & THE STATE OF THE NATION Figure 4: EU Migrants as a percentage of the population, 2011 & NET annual migration has seen a dramatic rise over the past 2 decades, from 37,000 per annum between to almost 300,000 this year. & Migrants are dispersed across the UK. Non-EU migrants are most likely to live in London, whilst EU migrants are much more dispersed. Boston, in the East Midlands, has the highest share of EU migrants. & There is also a difference between the fiscal contribution of EU and non-eu migrants. & Since 2001 it is estimated that migrants from across the European Economic Area have contributed an estimated 8.9bn to the UK Economy ( 436 per person per year), whilst non-eu migrants have had a negative impact of - 86bn. OpenStreetMap contributors Source: England & Wales Census 10

11 Making the case for language learning #2 Naseem Bashir, North East Naseem moved to the UK in 1996 to get married, and at the time she had a very basic understanding of English. Her aim was to work in childcare, but she knew she d need to improve her language skills to achieve this. Naseem went to Newcastle s Angelou Centre an organisation working with and supporting black and minority ethnic women to ask for help to improve her spoken English. Naseem became a volunteer crèche worker at the centre and undertook a range of courses in Community Learning Champions, Civic Volunteering, Parenting Champions and Tackling Race Inequalities. Naseem is now a Community Learning Champion who helps other adults in her community access learning opportunities, and is seen as a role model. She continues to volunteer in the centre s crèche and works part time as a crèche worker. Naseem said, Learning gave me confidence as a woman and mother. I am now able to support my children with their studies and share knowledge about the wider world. 11

12 2. FALLING SHORT How current policy measures up to the challenges of Migration

13 & 2. FALLING SHORT How current policy measures up to the challenges Public policy related to migration has over recent years tended to react to a growing negative public perception of the impact of migration. This has led to mainstream political parties seeking to promise reductions in net migration or to propose more punitive measures to dissuade immigrants from coming to the UK. What has mostly been missing from the debate is a focus on public policies which will maximise the benefits of migration, support people to integrate into society and tackle the local pressures on services and infrastructure. In this chapter we explore three main areas where policy makers need to move the debate if we are to make migration truly work for all. meet, reductions in funding and increased eligibility restrictions have resulted in a dramatic drop in participation in ESOL learning. This has fallen from an estimated 500,000 learners in 2006/07 to 139,000 in 13/14. The funding and eligibility rules for ESOL and the drop in funding has led to questions about the appropriateness and quality of provision too. Tackling language skills also delivers important personal benefits. In some cases people have been living and working in Britain for decades without having the opportunity to develop their English language skills further. This can be a significant barrier to them successfully integrating into and contributing to their community, building a career and fulfilling their ambitions. The language barrier is a barrier to growth Over the next 10 years it is anticipated that there will be 13.5 million job vacancies in the UK labour market, but only 7 million new labour market entrants to fill them 19. Employers are already facing critical skills gaps and skills shortages, leading to low productivity, together with millions of people stuck in low-paid work or not able to access full-time work. It is increasingly becoming clear that we need to look beyond our existing workforce if we are to fill these gaps. The Annual Population Survey (2013) reported that there were approximately 28.5 million people aged in employment in the UK, 15 per cent of whom were non- UK-born. Of those 28.5 million people, around 13 million are working in low-skilled occupations and 2.1 million people in low-skilled occupations were not born in the UK. Migration has an important role to play in helping to fill skills gaps at either end of a hollowed out labour market. Research suggests that lack of access to English language learning (English for Speakers of Other Languages or ESOL) is one of the greatest institutional barriers to migrants upgrading their skills and allowing businesses to use their talents to address growing skills gaps 20. Overall, around 850,000 people in England and Wales are considered non-proficient in English. However, government funding for ESOL has declined from 210m in 2008 to 130m in 2013, having suffered a disproportionate share of the reduction in the Adult Skills Budget (Figure 5). Although many providers report high local demand for ESOL provision, which they are unable to Source: ONS, Crown Copyright (Jan 2015) The role of learning and skills provision is essential in ensuring that the individual, employers and the wider economy are able to harness the capabilities of more highly-skilled migrants to everyone s advantage, while also supporting individuals and communities that feel displaced by migration to get the skills they need to be part of the society. 850,000 people in England and Wales are considered non-proficient in English. However, funding for ESOL has declined from 210m in 2008 to 130m 19 Wilson, R. et al, Working Futures Evidence report 41, UKCES (Aug 2014). 20 NIACE, Committee of Inquiry on English for Speakers of other languages (2006). 13

14 Recognising the skills migrants have The University of Birmingham undertook a seven-year study into the education, training and employment needs of new migrants in the UK. This highlighted a number of issues which have hampered high skilled migrants from using their skills in the labour market. Their analysis found that migrants with professional and trade backgrounds often found that their existing qualifications from their country of origin were not recognised by professional bodies in the UK 21. Many students who had completed degrees in their country of origin also found that the UK NARIC system downgraded their qualifications often to intermediate level and that there is no mechanism for these students to use their existing learning as credit for a UK degree. In the absence of a recognition of prior learning and achievement system many migrants are required to undertake further training to have existing skills recognised. We believe more needs to be done to improve qualification recognition alongside improving embedded English language support in vocational training and diversifying existing ESOL provision to meet a wider range of needs. ESOL classes also need to be provided more flexibly so that those in employment can continue to progress their learning. Because the Government can only control one of the three components of net migration, this receives most policy attention. But sometimes this has perverse consequences for example, reducing the number of international students (who pay higher fees and subsidise British students) and risking both higher education income and reducing the high skilled migration needed to fill skills gaps. We believe that Government needs a more sophisticated approach to this policy. For the UK to continue to prosper and grow employers need to access a global workforce ensuring they can recruit the brightest and best. This is an economic imperative in an increasingly competitive global economy. When it comes to inward investment and fiscal policy Government has clearly demonstrated that Britain is open for Business. Migration policy similarly needs to match this rhetoric. A number of commentators have suggested that the Government should take a more pragmatic approach by matching the migration target closer to labour market need - ensuring that we are better equipped to tackle skills shortages in the economy. The migration cap is a cap on our ambition There has been much debate in the run-up to the general election about the practicalities, pros and cons of the migration cap and targets. The Coalition aim of reducing net migration to below 100,000 within this parliament has been unsuccessful, with the most recent data showing net migration at 298, Net migration is made up of three broad elements: & immigration from the EU (which, under EU treaties, cannot be capped); & immigration from outside the EU (which the Government controls through a points-based system); and & outward migration (which the Government cannot control). 21 Philmore, J, New migrants and lifelong learning: impacts, gaps and opportunities, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (2007) 22 ONS (Crown copyright), Migration Statistics Quarterly Report (26 February 2015) 14

15 Better policy to address perceptions & reality The challenge for policy makers is to make policy which recognises the negative perceptions of migration as well as embracing and promoting the real benefits it brings. As noted in chapter one, the often reported concerns that migrants benefit to the detriment of domestic residents (from increased access to employment opportunities, benefits, housing and other services) is largely false or very localised. Learning and skills provision is essential in ensuring that the individual, employers and the wider economy are able to harness the capabilities of more highly-skilled migrants Despite the evidence, the perception that UK-born residents are missing out is real. With unemployment now falling, the perceptions are less about access to work and more focused on pay. Recent reports suggest that the UK has 5 million people on low pay and that it is very difficult to move from low pay into higher skilled work or to support improved productivity without skills and other support. As we discussed in our last Policy Solution publication on progression, there are policies that can address the high numbers of people in low paid work. Our proposal for a National Advancement Service would be aimed at everyone in low pay and focus on boosting their earnings and opportunities. Beyond employment and skills policies there are other public policy challenges that will help address the real issues as well as the misconceptions about migration. For instance, more work needs to be focused on housing, education and local service provision. 15

16 Making the case for language learning #3 Aurelio Horta, South West Aurelio came to the UK from Portugal with his family in 2004, seeking work and a better life. When a car accident left him with injuries that meant he couldn t continue his career as a miller, he set about improving his skills for employment. Whilst recovering, Aurelio became a volunteer for South Somerset Mind and Yeovil Hospital, offering advice and interpreting skills. Aurelio knew that learning English was key to accessing job opportunities, so he passed Levels 1 and 2 in literacy and numeracy, as well as ECDL computer courses. During that time, he encouraged more than 200 other migrants to complete various English courses. In 2010, Aurelio became the Community Link Worker for South Somerset District Council, and subsequently started studying for a Level 6 Diploma in Public Service Interpreting. He said My job gives me great pleasure to see my clients happy when their problems have been resolved. These last two years have launched my career at a level that I never dreamed of. 16

17 3. POLICY SOLUTIONS Employment, learning & skills policies that will maximise migration benefits

18 & 3. POLICY SOLUTIONS Employment, learning & skills policies that will maximise migration benefits This chapter identifies positive policy solutions to ensure that the benefits of migration are maximised; UK residents are supported to succeed; and community cohesion is nurtured. 1 Learning English for all Everyone should be able to access support to become proficient in English language and migrants should take responsibility to use the opportunities. Public funding should be targeted, learning opportunities more flexible and individuals and employers should be incentivised to invest in skills. To tackle this NIACE believes that a. Learning English should be a requirement of anyone in a household in receipt of any benefit. At present learning English is a requirement of the main claimant of Jobseeker s Allowance. We propose to extend this requirement to anyone in a household (not just the main claimant) of any working-age benefit (including for example, Housing Benefit) in advance of the potential roll out of similar conditions to households in receipt of Universal Credit. b. The number of English classes should be expanded to match growing demand. To do this, existing public investment on ESOL ( 130m) should be focused solely on flexible and high quality entry level learning, expanding learning opportunities at this level. More should be done to provide on-line, blended courses to enable people to progress as quickly as possible to becoming proficient. c. Personal Skills Accounts should be introduced to fund all ESOL learning above entry level. Employers would be expected to register employees for an Account and provide time to access learning when learners themselves invest. Learners would be able to access income-contingent loan funding. In line with NIACE s manifesto proposals on personal skills accounts all employees should have access to Career Reviews to help inform their investment in learning. We estimate this new market will be valued at between m. 2 d. Government should support the development of more language learning embedded into vocational courses. Embedded language support would allow migrants to improve their skills and contribute to the economy. This would help maximise the benefits of migration. Local solutions to improve opportunities for people and greater community cohesion. Policy makers should support local communities where there are greater numbers of migrants. To tackle this NIACE believes that: a. Local areas with particularly high levels of migration should be supported to raise additional resource to tackle their specific needs. They should have the option to introduce, where there is local agreement from employers (similar to Business Improvement Districts and the skills levies in construction and the creative industries), an additional employer levy to fund skills support and apprenticeships for residents as well as other community cohesion activity. b. All people should have equal opportunities to get on. As recommended by NIACE s No Limits, the Government should give better support to all people in low paid work, including introducing a new National Advancement Service and access to Personal Skills Accounts. c. Leading by example - Government should establish a pilot to improve English Language proficiency of workers in the publicly-funded Health and Social Care Sector through blended and work based learning. As well as improving effectiveness and productivity, this could inspire and inform similar activity in those sectors with a higher representation of migrant workers, such as the Hospitality and Food and Drink Sectors. 18

19 & OUR SOLUTIONS 3 Migrants, particularly those with high skills have a vital role to play in helping us to tackle our skills crisis. For the UK to continue to prosper and grow, employers need to access a global workforce ensuring they can recruit the brightest and best. This is an economic imperative in an increasingly competitive global economy. On our inward investment and fiscal policy Government has clearly demonstrated that Britain is open for Business. Migration policy similarly needs to match this rhetoric. To tackle this NIACE believes that: a. Government should urgently review the migration cap to ensure that the UK has access to the students, entrepreneurs, and people with skills we need to grow and prosper. This should recognise the different migrant groups, including family and humanitarian migration; high-skilled migrants where language learning would be self-financed as well as those seeking low-skilled work. Students should be excluded from any target and economic migration should be encouraged where there are urgent labour market needs in the economy Social Market Foundation, Targeting Migration, (March 2014) 19

20 Making the case for language learning #4 Rubina Bhatti, South East Originally from Lahore in Pakistan, Rubina s hectic family life had for many years prevented her from returning to education in the UK. She jumped at the chance to join Surrey Council s Family Learning Language course, which helped improve her English skills, and gave her the confidence to better support her sons in their education. Within a short space of time Rubina completed the OCR Functional Skills English exam and two IT courses. She later studied for a Level 2 Preparing to Help in Schools qualification. Her new skills and understanding have benefited both Rubina and her son, who has grown in confidence and greatly improved in his school work. She now volunteers at her local primary school helping the children with maths and English. Rubina said: I had begun to believe that I would never get the opportunity to return to education in the UK, but these courses have changed my whole outlook towards life. My dream is to become a teaching assistant. 20

21 & CONCLUSION It's time for an informed, outcome-driven debate on migration, avoiding the negative rhetoric that sadly dominates much of the mainstream reporting of migration policy. Employment, learning and skills policies have a critical role to play in helping to make migration work. It is imperative that we maximise the clear benefits migration has and does bring for businesses, communities, the economy and migrants themselves. Through more positive interventions we can: & Unlock the talents of migrants to fill skills shortages and gaps and support sustained economic growth & Support all workers to become more resilient and able to fill vacancies across all levels & Build greater community cohesion across the length and breadth of the country. Employment, learning and skills policies have a critical role to play in helping to make migration work, securing a much greater economic return and also ensuring much stronger community cohesion Only by moving on to address real, rather than perceived challenges with positive and practical solutions will we have a migration system that serves the needs of our economy and society. 21

22 National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales) Patron: HRH The Princess Royal President: Nick Stuart Chair of Company Board: Maggie Galliers Chief Executive: David Hughes A company limited by guarantee Registered no Registered charity no Registered office: 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE