iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

With I’d had “the Netherlands” on my Labour conference bingo card this year.

Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Was great to speak at this today - sharing findings from our report “Building an AI-ready workforce”. learningandwork.org.uk/building-an-... Some choice quotes I picked from the report included the words “grift” “panic” & “scared”. If that doesn’t tempt you to read it, I don’t know what will..

learningandwork.org.uk

Building an AI-ready workforce: Creating a skills system that prepares UK knowledge workers for the AI transition - Learning and Work Institute

AI has transformative potential for the UK economy and could present a net uplift to productivity of up to £80 billion by 2035. Yet the UK workforce does not – yet – have the skills to successfully ad...

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Doing my planning for Labour conference, trying to work out if there is a NFL-related lobbying group that might be showing Ravens v Cowboys on Sunday night…

static.klipy.com

Baltimore Ravens Mascot Poe in Snow

ALT: Baltimore Ravens Mascot Poe in Snow

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🚨THINK TANK JOB KLAXON 🚨 V excited to be hiring to this new role @learnworkuk.bsky.social - adding another brain to lead work on skills and better work. Loads of scope to make it your own, friendly people, urgent topics. learningandwork.org.uk/about-us/joi... Please spread far and wide!

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Relatively quiet set of labour market stats. But flat figures in context of 3.9m people out of work and say they want a job & 1m+ young people are NEET. Glass half full: labour market resilient given everything. Glass half empty: can't see improvements in underlying challenges coming anytime soon.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Without downloading any new pics, where are you at mentally?

A 16th(?)-century Austrian cloth holder that looks like the bust of a woman - but half of her body is a skeleton.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

I hate it when Claude tells me it's 'mulling' something. You're not mulling! You're not thinking! You can't think! You can't do something as innately human and whimsical as 'mull'!

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Further scepticism on post-14 vocational education from @daisychristo.bsky.social. I, like her, became a teacher in 2007, but had forgotten the insanity of all kids being put through the European Computer Driving License to boost league table standings. substack.nomoremarking.com/p/the-proble...

substack.nomoremarking.com

The problem with "parity of esteem"

Vocational education at age 14 is not the answer

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Does Andy Burnham care about 'systems change'? 'Systems change' is the buzz phrase among place-based policy-folk. Surely people in GMCA talked about it with him when he was there - even if he didn't use the term much himself. 🧵

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Hopkins' poems of finding solace, vibrancy and meaning in nature really helped me in some hard times. Here is an ode to my local park, inspired by 'Nothing is so Beautiful as Spring'. It's a Golden Shovel (read the final word of each line), so it's sort of nestled within Hopkins' poem.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The key questions for Burnham's vocational education announcement - and an initial attempt at an answer. 🧵1/6

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Not sure whether or not to read this month's labour market briefing? The stats are a bit boring this month but LOOK AT THIS COOL CHART. More cool charts via the link.

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

"Following the Milburn Review this further confirms the need for urgent action to support young people who are not in education, employment or training." ✍️ L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to today's labour market statistics from ONS.

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market stats response, June 2026 - Learning and Work Institute

L&W's chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Ha! I thought the online version was punchy enough…

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

1. The Milburn Review interim report is imminent & tomorrow we have new NEET stats. This matters because almost 1m young people are not in education, employment or training, up 1/3 since the pandemic, risking LT damage to their career prospects. learningandwork.org.uk/theres-one-m...

learningandwork.org.uk

There’s one million NEETs in the UK. Are we doing enough? - Learning and Work Institute

Stephen Evans, Chief Executive at Learning and Work Institute, reflects on the Government's expansion of the Youth Guarantee and if support is going far enough to help young people into work or traini...

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Elizabeth Gerard @elizabethgerard.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

The Milburn review is expected to put out an interim report this week, diagnosing the challenges faced by young people who are NEET. However, we’ll have to wait until autumn for the solutions. But, do we? And should young people have to wait? We already know quite a lot about what works. 🧵

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Sounds like the Milburn review is going to vociferously reiterate the view held by everyone in employment world that 'systems failures' are the heart of the NEET issue. (eg. see this from @stephenevans.bsky.social from March) So - what specific failures need to be shouted about the loudest?🧵

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

"The labour market remained flat heading into the current international crisis, with employment, vacancies and other measures all flat or worsening. If the crisis persists, this risks being the calm before the storm." ✍️ L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to May's labour market data.

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market stats response, May 2026 - Learning and Work Institute

L&W's chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Sadly I don’t have a bunch of agents ploughing through my inbox while I am here, but am still v glad I have made the time for today’s @ifow.org conference. Looking forward to a day of clever, thoughtful, tech-aware discussion.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Roll up, roll up, get your labour market key stats here. Slow wage growth is leading the headlines today, but there's nothing new really in the latest labour markets release, so we've done a bit of a deeper dive into youth (un)employment.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

A boring set of labour market stats means we’re going to need to try and liven up our briefing through force of personality. Will we succeed? Sign-up here to receive our attempt direct to your inbox later today: learningandwork.org.uk/supporter-ne...

learningandwork.org.uk

Supporter network - Learning and Work Institute

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

1. Fairly flat set of labour market stats today. Some further easing, including in earnings growth, but any falls seem much smaller than pre-Christmas data. This leaves underlying challenges, like needing another 2m people in work to hit Govt 80% employment rate target. And economic risks ahead.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

The Chancellor struck a positive note overall on employment prospects in her statement, but worth noting that the latest OBR forecast puts the 2026 unemployment rate peak at 0.33 ppts higher than their November forecast.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

No policy announcements today - but Reeves said there is more to be announced on Youth unemployment, which is clearly truly worrying this Gvt (more so than overall ⬆️ of unemployment rate, which OBR thinks will peak this year). We have had a lot already announced - so what else might be coming?

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

📉🤯📉 Should we be panicking about the labour market? I have commandeered the L&W monthly briefing + our expert team to help me think this question through. 🤯📉🤯 You can read the whole thing here - but here are some headline thoughts... learningandwork.org.uk/labour-marke...

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour Market Briefing: February 2026 - Learning and Work Institute

Our analysis of the ONS labour market statistics, released on the morning of 17 February 2026.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour Market Briefing: February 2026 - Learning and Work Institute

Our analysis of the ONS labour market statistics, released on the morning of 17 February 2026.

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

"Overall, employment is falling, unemployment rising and vacancies flat." 💬 L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to the labour market statistics released by ONS today.

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market stats response, February 2026 - Learning and Work Institute

L&W's chief executive Stephen Evans responds to the latest labour market data from ONS.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Introduce yourself with the name your parents almost gave you Daisy, after a beloved great-aunt. They worried I would be mocked for having a girly/old fashioned name. So they lumbered me with the name of half the millennial women I meet. 'Emily Andrews' is so common, my hairdresser sees two of us

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

"Looking ahead, slow growth and global instability increase the risks of rising worklessness, increasing the importance of the Government focusing on growth." ✍️ L&W chief exec @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to today's labour market statistics released by ONS.

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market analysis, 20 January 2026

Learning and Work Institute's response to the labour market stats for January 2026, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

"Occupational standards can be the foundation of a smarter, more responsive skills system. But only if we’re willing to rethink how they work—and who they’re really for." Read L&W's @stephenevans.bsky.social and Pearson's Donna Ford-Clarke's article on occupational standards in England. ⬇️📝

learningandwork.org.uk

From confusion to clarity: rethinking England’s 670 occupational standards - Learning and Work Institute

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

"We need a twin approach of providing more help to find work and creating the conditions for employers to create jobs." ✍️ L&W Chief Executive @stephenevans.bsky.social responds to the labour market statistics released by ONS today.

learningandwork.org.uk

Labour market analysis, 16 December 2025

Learning and Work Institute's response to the labour market stats for December 2025, released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Some worry signs in the labour market. Payroll jobs & employment heading down, with relatively large falls for retail & hospitality. Unemployment at its highest since the pandemic, partly reflecting more people looking for work (inactivity down) but suggesting they're struggling to find jobs.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

"With four out of five of the workers of 2035 already in the workplace today, we cannot rely on schools, colleges and universities to provide the Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons of the Brave New World we are entering in this latest technological shift." www.ft.com/content/460b...

ft.com

The UK must escape the doom loop of low skills

Social mobility like my own is all too rare when so many are trapped in low-income jobs by lack of training

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

I missed the leak when I went to get a sandwich. Does this mean I still have to watch the speech?

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

This sums up the fundamental tension in the "impact" agenda for me. The route to policy impact is to accept the premise of what policy-makers want to achieve, and help them achieve it. My whole academic training taught me to question/disrupt/reject policy-makers' premises.

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Elizabeth understands what it takes to make these kinds of changes. She’s pushed me into a slightly more positive position about today’s review - but we’re all concerned that none of the change it promises will come to fruit quickly.

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Learning and Work Institute @learnworkuk.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

"Employers need to do more to help people stay in work and return to work, and we know that when employers get it right, it benefits everybody." L&W Deputy Director @elizabethgerard.bsky.social responds to the Keep Britain Working Review. ✍️

learningandwork.org.uk

Responding to the Keep Britain Working Review - Learning and Work Institute

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Feat. me hard at work improving my line management skills using a genuinely (and I must admit surprisingly, to me) useful AI tool…

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The WEA @weaadulted.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

In celebration of Get The Nation Learning Week, we’ve put together a blog about five famous lifelong learners whose passion for learning has inspired millions to continuously explore and seek new knowledge: bit.ly/4974xLt #GetTheNationLearning @learnworkuk.bsky.social

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

As someone who has worked outside Gvt trying to create employer change, I don’t see anything here that harnesses the unique power of Gvt to actually do things. So it all reads as sensible - it’s sort of what I would do - but I am not The Government!

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Today’s Keep Britain Working Review essentially recommends Government takes a “What Works” approach to work and health. My headline: really sorry to say this is a missed opportunity for the goodwill and legitimacy Sir Charlie has generated over the course of this review to deliver actual change.

gov.uk

Keep Britain Working: Final report

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

It's Get the Nation Learning week! We need learning to help us thrive and grow - as individuals and as an economy. It should be an engine of progress, but right now it's deepening inequalities. People with the most money do the most learning; people with less do the least. That holds us all back.

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

New target for 2/3 young people to do HE or an apprenticeship is probably broadly sensible (abolishing 50% HE target that doesn’t exist is about headlines). But is it ambitious? 25% of YP already do apprenticeships. 50% do HE. Some overlap & likely app drop since this data. But just describing now?

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Is it churlish of me to immediately start wondering what level apprenticeships will count?

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Emily Andrews @emilyishness.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Running the leaflet gauntlet at political conferences is always a challenge, but I don’t remember ever being confronted with leafletting CHILDREN before. How are you supposed to stone-facedly walk past a 10-year old trying to hand you a leaflet about child poverty…

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Stephen Evans @stephenevans.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Pleased to see the Government funding work placements for long-term NEETs, like Future Jobs Fund. As I say in Times, q’s on detail re eligibility (should be open on voluntary basis to young UC health claimants) & placements (how long, which employers, what support). www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

thetimes.com

Young people to lose benefits if they refuse job offers

Rachel Reeves is to announce a plan to seek out young people not in work or training, and ‘abolish’ long-term youth unemployment

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