My plan to tackle the cost of living crisis in London

Today, I’m launching a new Skills Roadmap for London, with an offer of free training for any Londoner aged 19 and over who is unemployed, on a low income, or has limited formal education

Equipping Londoners with the skills they need to get on and pursue new careers is crucial for London’s economic recovery from this pandemic (PA)

With inflation on the rise, energy bills rocketing, national insurance contributions set to increase from April and the government’s misguided changes to universal credit, Londoners are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their budgets.

As the mayor of London, I want to help those struggling with the soaring cost of living. There is a woeful lack of devolution of powers and funding to mayors around the country, but one area where City Hall has real power to make a difference is through the delivery of adult skills and training programmes.

Helping Londoners to acquire the skills that either allow them to earn more in their current roles, or secure better-paid jobs, is going to be key to easing the financial pressures felt by many in our city. This is why today I’m launching a new Skills Roadmap for London, with an offer of free training for any Londoner aged 19 and over who is unemployed, on a low income, or has limited formal education.

This is one of my flagship policies for my second term as mayor. It’s an area I’m passionate about because I know the transformative impact skills training can have on someone’s life chances and prospects. One of my brothers, for example, benefitted hugely from high-quality training that enabled him to become a motor mechanic. He’s not looked back since. Not only does obtaining fresh skills, retraining or learning a new trade enhance your employability, but it can deliver a massive boost to your confidence and sense of self-worth.

Equipping Londoners with the skills they need to get on and pursue new careers is also crucial for London’s economic recovery from this pandemic. Our capital city has been hit much harder than others by Covid-19, with our unemployment rate still higher than it was before the crisis, and currently the highest of any UK region. The good news, however, is that our city’s economy is showing signs of recovery and there are plenty of jobs out there for would-be applicants. It’s just a case of making sure that Londoners have the skills and the qualifications they need to get a foot in the door and to seize these opportunities.

To do this, City Hall has been working hand-in-hand with employers and skills providers to ensure that our adult education programmes meet the standards and needs of our businesses. We are determined to support Londoners into good, secure work in sectors that are currently facing staffing shortages, and which are key to London’s recovery and long-term prosperity. These include growing areas of our economy, such as our green, digital, creative and film industries, as well as our health and hospitality sectors.

We’ve also launched a major new campaign today to raise awareness of our free adult training offer – and to ensure it’s reaching those who need it most. Over the last two years, this pandemic has exposed, exacerbated and entrenched deep inequalities in our capital city, so we are committed to helping Londoners who have been denied equal access to vital skills and employment opportunities for too long.

This new offer will build on our strong track record of delivering skills training in London. Since 2019, when we were first given responsibility for adult education, we have supported more than 400,000 Londoners to build their skills and access good work, including many Londoners from minority communities, those in low-paid work and deaf Londoners who have been able to train for free for qualifications in British Sign Language for the first time.

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The publication of our Skills Roadmap for London is an important next step that will allow us to scale up our plans and be even more ambitious in our approach to tackling inequality, supporting our economy and fashioning a fairer, greener and more prosperous city.  I want to ensure that many more Londoners can turn their passion into a profession and get the skills they need to progress both in life and work.

This issue of skills and education goes to the heart of what I want my mayoralty to be about. I stood for mayor because I wanted to help Londoners get the opportunities – and the helping hand – they need to fulfil their potential. Our city already boasts one of the most innovative and dynamic economies anywhere in the world. But if we’re to scale even greater heights, we need to make sure that new ladders of opportunity are extended for all Londoners to climb.

So, as we emerge from this pandemic, I’m committed to continuing this important work to up-skill Londoners, do right by our businesses and get our city back on its feet and thriving once again.

Sadiq Khan is the mayor of London. If you are 19 and over and unemployed or in a low paid job, or know someone who is, please check out the free training programmes we can offer