Paid mid-career apprenticeships with a guaranteed placement

The problem: when an industry shrinks, workers in their thirties, forties and fifties are told to retrain, but retraining often means losing income, with no assurance that a job will follow.

The proposal: paid apprenticeships open to adults, combining on-the-job learning with classroom study and a wage that covers living costs. An apprenticeship is a system of training in which a worker learns a trade or profession by working alongside experienced practitioners. Employers who take part commit to considering apprentices for permanent roles, and the scheme publishes how many are placed.

Who acts: governments fund part of the wage and set quality standards; employers provide places and mentors; training providers and unions help design the curriculum.

Costs and trade-offs: wage support is not cheap, and schemes can be used to obtain cheap labour. Clear standards, caps on the share of apprentices in a workforce and independent inspection reduce the risk.

First step: start in one sector with known vacancies, publish the results after two years, and expand only if placements are strong.