Institutes of Technology must be allowed to succeed

This week the Department for Education (DfE) announced the 12 winning bids to create the first Institutes of Technology at locations around the UK.Backed by £170 million of government investment, the DfE claim the institutes will offer top-quality, higher level technical education, with the aim of closing skills gaps in key science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) areas.At the City & Guilds Group, we are always pleased to see investment into high-quality technical training – and we welcome the introduction of the Institutes of Technology. As a country with an education system firmly rooted in traditional academic paths, the formation of the new Institutes of Technology is a step in the right direction.As skills gaps continue to widen across UK Plc, creating parity of esteem between traditional education pathways and alternative vocational routes is vital if we are to ensure the continuation of our talent pipeline for the generations to come. Employers are looking to bring young people into their workforce already equipped with the fundamental skills required for their industry – and technical training colleges and courses are the best enabler of this.