Following the 2024 Autumn Budget, the UK’s Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has encouraged its members to not slash their investment in training resources when deciding where to make cuts.
The UK government’s 2024 autumn budget raised taxes by around GBP40 billion (USD51 billion) in total, with national insurance contributions by employers rising from 13.8 percent to 15 percent from April 2025. Simultaneously, earnings threshold will be reduced from GBP9,100 (USD11,611) to GBP5,000 (USD6,380), along with the minimum wage increasing by 6.7 percent to GBP12.21 (USD15.58).
According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), despite smaller employers being shielded from some of the impact with the employment allowance increasing from GBP5,000 (USD6,380) to GBP10,500 (USD13,397), companies in the UK are cautiously examining their own budgets for possible savings to counterbalance these hiked costs.
LEEA highlights the role that the lifting industry plays in the country’s economy – and with that, the need to train its workforce appropriately. According to the association, over 90 percent of all accidents within the industry arise from human error, with carelessness, ignorance and incompetence being underpinning factors.
The organisation offers digital or in-person training and, along with English, most of its courses are available in Bahasa, simplified Chinese, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, French, and Spanish. Adding to its ‘End User Guidance’ and ‘Introduction to Lifting Equipment’ courses, LEEA is working on its ‘Academy 3’ curriculum and training course. This will zoom in on how to prevent accidents, injuries and fatalities.
The budget has seen extra funding directed towards the education system. This includes GBP950 million (USD1.2 billion) for skills capital to help college estates and GBP300 million (USD382.8 million) for the further education sector from next year.
Lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) has been formed to expand access to flexible education and training for adults during their working lives, from January 2027 replacing higher education student loans and advanced learner loans.
With GBP40 million (USD51 million) committed to reforming the apprenticeship levy, LEEA continues to support the Lifting Equipment Technician apprenticeship, which opens up a natural pathway for further continuing professional development choices.
Against the backdrop of low availability and increasing cost of labour, LEEA argues that training is a safe investment as it boosts productivity and creates expertise which can add huge value to members’ customers and support supply chains throughout the industry.
