Skilled worker mobility
Significant barriers for skilled workers attempting to transfer across and within specific sectors, despite skills shortages.
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
92match
#12 - Consult the transport manufacturing sector on a ‘competency passport’ approach for worker transferability.
Skilled workers face significant barriers when trying to move across and within areas of transport manufacturing. This is especially frustrating when employers report persistent skills shortages. Skills England should by the end of 2026 consult the transport manufacturing sector on the potential benefits of a ‘competency passport’ approach to improving the ease with which workers can transfer between,...
Matched on
terms: skilled, worker
Committee recommendation
81match
#5 - 1st Report - A sustainable veterinary workforce
The Home Office, in collaboration with Defra, should review the Skilled Worker Visa salary thresholds for veterinary roles by early 2027 to ensure they: • reflect realistic earlycareer salary progression in the sector; • do not create barriers to recruiting overseas vets into shortage roles; and • are aligned with wider workforce needs in public health and food...
Matched on
terms: skilled, worker
Committee recommendation
81match
#4 - Expand Skills Passports and establish commitments for energy sector workforce transition and support targets.
The Government must continue to tackle barriers preventing existing energy sector workers transitioning successfully. Skills Passports and associated funding should be expanded. The Government in its response to us should propose how the transferability of skills across traditional boundaries and between devolved administrations could be accommodated better by accreditation regimes. The Government should put in place commitments to...
Matched on
terms: skilled, worker
Committee recommendation
71match
#3 - Explore Danish measures for skills shortages and initiate work on home-grown talent for clean energy.
There may be a need for the import of some specific skills from overseas, at least in the short term, to deliver on targets for clean energy and the decarbonisation of buildings. We heard of significant efforts by the Danish government both to manage migration and fill their significant skills gap, especially in construction and related sectors. The...
Matched on
terms: skilled
Committee recommendation
70match
#23 - Slow transition of skilled home heating workforce to low carbon retrofit, compounded by ageing.
The UK has a skilled home heating workforce but its transition to work on low carbon retrofit is not happening at the pace required to upgrade homes at scale. This is compounded by a twin underlying crisis: few new entrants to the sector and an ageing workforce. (Conclusion, Paragraph 135)
Matched on
terms: skilled
Committee recommendation
70match
#26 - Link investment in training to nationally recognised accreditation for retrofit and clean energy workers
We emphasise that workforce expansion in retrofit and clean heat must go hand-in-hand with high and verifiable standards of competence. Written evidence criticised aspects of the existing skills and competence system in retrofit and related sectors, calling for tighter and more rigorous training standards, improved accreditation and the raising of quality where some courses were described as being...
Matched on
terms: worker
Committee recommendation
66match
#6 - Set out options by 2026 for leveraging skilled immigration to boost home-grown talent.
The Government should, by the end of 2026, set out a range of further options for conditionality to leverage the short-term need for skilled immigration to boost the longer-term need for home-grown talent. An analysis of their potential impacts should be included. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34) The role of the Department and its Office for Clean Energy Jobs
Matched on
terms: skilled
Committee recommendation
66match
#1 - Skilled labour supply insufficient to meet demand for clean energy and decarbonised buildings.
The supply of skilled labour does not currently match the levels of demand expected to be required if the UK is to fulfil Government’s ambitions to deliver clean energy by 2030 and decarbonised buildings by 2050. (Conclusion, Paragraph 29)
Matched on
terms: skilled
Committee recommendation
64match
#1 - 1st Report - A sustainable veterinary workforce
Workforce pressures in the veterinary profession are no longer driven primarily by an overall shortage of qualified individuals, but by challenges in retention, distribution and alignment with specific roles. At our evidence session at Harper Adams University, all four senior veterinary representatives on the panel emphasised that veterinary training produces a highly transferable skillset, supporting careers across industry,...
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
64match
#34 - Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution
The Union Learning Fund is a crucial programme for delivering workplace training. It has a strong track record of proven effectiveness and should be treated in line with other training providers in both the public and private spheres. It has a vital focus on tackling disadvantage, upskilling low-skilled workers, and offers excellent value for money. The Department has...
Matched on
terms: skilled, worker
Committee recommendation
61match
#18 - 4th Report - UK-EU relations a decade on
Commitments to continued dialogue without defined objectives and timelines are inadequate. We recommend that the Government clearly identifies the priority services sectors for improved business mobility and sets out, in precise terms, the specific outcomes it is seeking from the EU. The Government should also define clear timelines for their delivery. (Recommendation, Paragraph 46)
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
61match
#18 - Establish a nationally recognised, industry-backed construction and retrofit skills programme with partners.
Given the scale of workforce demand in construction and retrofit, including the need for an estimated additional 250,000 workers to meet new housing targets and millions more for retrofit we recommend that Government work with CITB, Skills England, and industry to establish a nationally recognised, industry backed construction and retrofit skills programme. Evidence demonstrates that the current system...
Matched on
terms: worker
Committee recommendation
60match
#18 - 3rd Report – Securing Scotland's future: Defence skills and jobs
It is clear there will continue to be a role for international workers in Scotland’s defence sector for the foreseeable future, particularly given that demand for products from the defence sector has historically fluctuated. Current skills shortages have exacerbated this reliance as overseas recruitment is needed to meet immediate workforce needs. While international workers will remain an important...
Matched on
terms: worker
Committee recommendation
57match
#14 - 8th Report - AUKUS
The Government must urgently remove barriers to workforce mobility across the AUKUS partners, beginning with security clearances. We recommend that the MOD, working with trilateral partners and in consultation with industry, set out within six months a clear plan to enable mutual recognition or continuity of security clearances for AUKUS-related work, and report to Parliament on progress. The...
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
57match
#7 - Second Report - Coronavirus and Scotland
The Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme is vital for the Scottish food sector, the pandemic highlighted that there is not the local take-up for these seasonal roles. We believe that not having enough people to harvest Scottish food puts an important part of the Scottish economy at risk, along with the ability to feed Scottish people and export food....
Matched on
terms: worker
Committee recommendation
53match
#21 - 5th Report – How to strengthen UK-EU relations
The UK and the EU should consider the development of an ambitious, visa- based youth mobility scheme with a limited number of participants. This initiative would allow young people to spend up to 12 months in the UK or EU for cultural and educational exchange, facilitating language acquisition, fostering a deeper understanding of shared European history and heritage,...
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
53match
#17 - 4th Report - UK-EU relations a decade on
We welcome the commitments made in the Common Understanding to seek improved business mobility arrangements. However, we note that progress on this issue is unlikely until after the planned UK-EU dialogues in the second quarter of this year. This is far too slow. (Conclusion, Paragraph 45)
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
53match
#16 - 4th Report - UK-EU relations a decade on
We recommend that the Government uses the Reset to urgently prioritise improved mobility and visa arrangements for touring artists, moving beyond commitments to further dialogue, and delivers practical, measurable outcomes that support the UK’s creative industries. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Matched on
terms: mobility
Committee recommendation
49match
#20 - 5th Report – How to strengthen UK-EU relations
We recognise the importance of reintroducing mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and the EU and reducing barriers to trade for touring artists. Given the economic and cultural significance of these sectors, continued engagement between UK and EU regulatory bodies is necessary to facilitate smoother market access. (Recommendation, Paragraph 82)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
49match
#19 - Sixteenth Report - Progress in remediating dangerous cladding
However, the process has not been working as intended. The process can be expensive and lasts for only five years, with costs often passed onto leaseholders.57 The process has been slow; the demand for the work to inspect external walls has outweighed the supply of the professionals with the skills to do so. This has been compounded by...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
49match
#22 - Develop targeted support and upskilling for new Welsh farmers, protecting tenant farming
The UK Government should work in close partnership with the Welsh Government to develop more targeted support and technical upskilling programmes for young and new entrants into the Welsh farming sector. In doing so, it must actively promote and protect the vital role of tenant farming in Wales as a pathway into the industry. (Recommendation, Paragraph 111)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
49match
#14 - Empower devolved governments and resource coordination for consistent training and skill portability.
We welcome the Government’s attention to leveraging the significant potential of various levels of devolved government across different parts of the UK. They should be empowered to lead on approaches tailored to local or regional strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the Government must provide the Office for Clean Energy Jobs and Skills England with the authority and resources to...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
48match
#19 - 3rd Report – Securing Scotland's future: Defence skills and jobs
We recognise calls for the importance of defence and manufacturing sector needs to be reflected in immigration policies. The UK Government should regularly review defence roles included in the temporary shortage list to ensure defence skills gaps in Scotland can be adequately filled. (Recommendation, Paragraph 95) Public perceptions of defence
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#34 - 2nd Report - Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK defence
As was promised in the Defence AI Strategy, the Ministry of Defence should devise a strategy for supporting individuals with an AI specialism to develop a career in defence. The plan should create viable career paths for AI specialists within MOD and the Armed Forces, and should also establish schemes to enable AI experts to move between the...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#24 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
In its response to this report, the government should set out a clear, cross-departmental strategy for ensuring a secure and sustainable domestic talent pipeline in the key scientific and technological capabilities it has identified as critical to the UK’s future prosperity and security. This should include an assessment of current and projected skills needs, and should set out...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#3 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
The UK’s Global Talent Fund is a welcome initiative but lacks ambition and scale. It fails to address the high upfront costs faced by researchers coming to the UK, which our witnesses consistently identified as a key deterrent for science and tech talent. It is short-sighted to promote the UK as a destination for global talent while retaining...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#12 - 2nd Report - Business events
Post‑Brexit barriers, including visas, bureaucracy and loss of mutual recognition, have damaged the UK’s competitiveness and reinforced perceptions that it is a more difficult and costly destination for business events. (Conclusion, Paragraph 31)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#13 - 8th Report - AUKUS
We are deeply concerned by the Government’s failure to recognise the impact of barriers to workforce movement across the trilateral. The ensuing inconvenience and cost may currently be manageable—although they are having a stifling effect on collaboration—but it is clear to us that existing arrangements will not be sustainable as work on AUKUS intensifies. With the programme already...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#20 - Construction industry faces capacity challenges from ageing workforce and Brexit, impacting remediation acceleration.
We asked witnesses if the construction industry had the capacity to support the acceleration of remediation. The HBF told us acceleration was happening, but that it would be challenging. It outlined some of the challenges facing the sector, including an ageing construction workforce and Brexit, where stricter visa requirements have meant that some European builders have been unable...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#21 - UK Government fails to recognise tenant farming's vital role for new Welsh entrants
We support a long-term vision for farming in which generational transition within the sector is more actively supported. This includes creating clear and viable pathways for new entrants into farming, while ensuring that older farmers feel confident and assured to pass on their farms to a new generation of farmers. We are concerned that the UK Government fails...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
45match
#12 - Devolved governments are crucial for national workforce planning, ensuring consistent quality and skill portability.
National workforce planning will need to be delivered beyond Whitehall and devolved levels of government have a crucial role to play. National plans need to recognise that delivery of the workforce may diverge according to local circumstance and need while providing both a consistent quality in career pathways, standards and training and a portability of skills across the...
Matched on
classifier match
Committee recommendation
44match
#12 - 2nd Report - AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action
The Government’s industrial strategy must provide a coherent, cross-government vision for the role of innovative technology scaleups in delivering the Government’s growth ambitions across its eight key sectors. It should serve as an opportunity to critically review the existing landscape of support for scaleups , and be underpinned by a resolute focus on removing barriers to growth. In...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
44match
#10 - 2nd Report - AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action
We have the right ingredients to build world-leading tech companies, including in the high-growth potential areas of AI and creative technology. However, fundamental barriers to scaling in the UK’s technology sector, such as poor infrastructure, a culture of risk aversion, and comparatively limited domestic growth capital, are well documented and longstanding.
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
44match
#2 - 1st Report - A sustainable veterinary workforce
While recruitment has stabilised and the arrival of new entrants through the pipeline has increased, significant and persistent gaps remain in public sector roles, geographically isolated practices and other “deficit areas”. High attrition rates and a “constant churn” in some areas are leading to a loss of expertise and impose ongoing costs on employers. This is not an...
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classifier match
IMB recommendation
43match
Bullingdon (2022)
The increasing churn of prisoners has meant that in many cases prisoners are not able to progress from unskilled work to skilled work, or if they do, to finish any training courses that they undertake as part of that skilled work. Similarly, in a number of cases prisoners have been unable to complete education courses owing to transfer...
Matched on
terms: skilled
Committee recommendation
41match
#19 - 5th Report – How to strengthen UK-EU relations
We recommend that the Government draws lessons from the slow pace of mutual professional qualification recognition negotiations to date, re- assesses which mutual recognition agreements would contribute most to our mutual economic gain, and publishes a new roadmap of negotiating priorities for mutual recognition of qualifications. (Recommendation, Paragraph 79)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#16 - 6th Report - Scrutiny of international agreements: UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for...
In any development of CPTPP , the Government should prioritise innovations in the area of climate and trade in environmental goods and services; in digital services and trade in digital technology; and in professional services. Progress in the area of mutual recognition of qualifications in the medium term would be particularly welcome.
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#23 - 3rd Report - Science diplomacy: Sovereignty, strategy, and the global race
While targeted measures to strengthen research security are important, they cannot be considered in isolation from the wider structural pressures facing UK universities. Financial constraints, reliance on international student income and weaknesses in the domestic talent pipeline in key subjects such as physics and engineering all shape institutional incentives. Without addressing these underlying factors, efforts to improve research...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#14 - 2nd Report - Business events
The government should also work to combat perceived perceptions of the UK being a difficult location to hold business events, in order to enhance the UK’s competitiveness when bidding for events. We recommend that the government work to simplify visa processes to benefit business events and 13 international delegates. The government should publish clear guidance for business event...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#13 - 2nd Report - Business events
We recommend that the government pursue a Mutual Recognition Agreement for business events with the EU to recognise UK qualifications in the EU. (Recommendation, Paragraph 32)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#13 - 4th Report - UK-EU relations a decade on
We therefore recommend the Government sets out the UK ambitions for the agreement on a Youth Experience Scheme. This should set out the overall numbers of participants allowed, the visa timeframes, visa requirements, and its position on access to home fee rates at UK universities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 36) 53
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
41match
#12 - 4th Report - UK-EU relations a decade on
We note there are potential benefits for the UK from a Youth Experience Scheme with the EU, economically and culturally. We recognise however there is a mismatch between the UK and the EU ambitions. (Conclusion, Paragraph 35)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
40match
#41 - 2nd Report - Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK defence
The Government should work with the US and Australian Governments to integrate research and development in AI between the UK and its AUKUS allies. This could include establishing multinational research centres and fora to normalise collaboration between the countries’ AI sectors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 120) 59 Conclusion
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
40match
#31 - 2nd Report - Developing AI capacity and expertise in UK defence
Recruiting and retaining the brightest minds in AI to work on defence problems is a challenge. Recruitment difficulties exist across STEM disciplines, but the market for AI skills differs in such a way that meeting the challenge requires a targeted approach. (Conclusion, Paragraph 98)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
40match
#11 - 2nd Report - AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action
Some of these barriers do not have straightforward policy solutions, for example the relative size of the UK market, or cultural attitudes towards entrepreneurship. It is positive that solutions initiated by the previous Government to address challenges are being built upon by the current Government. However, these initiatives will not succeed without a consistent and determined focus on...
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
40match
#49 - 9th Report - Higher Education and Funding: Threat of Insolvency and International Students
We join with the higher education sector in welcoming that the UK will be associating with the Erasmus+ programme from 2027. (Conclusion, Paragraph 249)
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
40match
#31 - Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution
The Department must make the case for a three-year funding settlement for community learning at the next spending review. The Department should review and consolidate the many community learning funding streams to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for providers.
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Committee recommendation
36match
#50 - 24th Report - Scrutiny of International Agreements: Agreement with Switzerland on the Mutual Recognition of Professional...
We note that the Agreement enables the recognition of professional qualifications beyond 2024, providing certainty to businesses and professionals, and that advances that have been made for professionals on the existing Citizens’ Rights Agreement, for example the extension of its provisions to all regulated services professionals in the UK, regardless of citizenship.
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
36match
#1 - 2nd Report - AI and creative technology scaleups: less talk, more action
While the UK’s vibrant startup environment is lauded, the country has a technology scaleup problem. We risk becoming an ‘incubator economy’ for other nations, which has serious implications for our economic growth and global competitiveness.
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classifier match
Committee recommendation
36match
#6 - 1st Report - Cultural touring in the EU
In its response to this report, the government should update us on its unilateral activities to support UK artists working and touring in the EU. We recommend the government looks at all available options to help touring artists manage the additional costs and administration of complying with post-Brexit rules, including: reducing the upfront costs of ATA carnets for...
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