Logistics UK supports introduction of Lifelong Loan Entitlement

Thursday 09 March 2023

Logistics UK is encouraged by the government announcement yesterday (07 March) on the introduction of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE), which will reshape the provision of student finance in the UK and create opportunities for higher education. 

Jonas Keat, Policy Advisor for Skills at Logistics UK, comments: “We support the government’s ambition to achieve parity between technical and academic study, and to provide greater support for adults’ upskilling and reskilling. Technical skills are already in high demand in the logistics industry, and as the UK transitions to net zero and becomes increasingly automated, it is vital that we have a flexible system which makes re-training and upskilling a more attractive and convenient option for adult learners to bridge the skills gaps emerging in our sector.” 

The LLE will remove the Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) exception rule and make funding available for individual modules in addition to full-length Higher Technical Qualification courses. The abolition of the ELQ exception rule is a much-needed change, and one which the logistics sector has been calling out for. This will help to ensure that career changers are not prevented from accessing courses which they need to retrain, and that employers are therefore able to find the skilled workers which they require. 

From 2025 onwards, all adults under 60 will have access to the LLE, which is equivalent to £37,000 in today’s tuition fees. This will mean that people who have accessed student finance in the past, but took less than that amount out in loans, will now have access to additional funding for their own education. Through the LLE, government aims to put technical study on a par with academic routes and ensure that adults have the support needed to upskill and reskill throughout their lives.   

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods.