The Prime Minister made it clear over the Easter weekend that we are ready to enter the next stage of the roadmap out of lockdown, with the opening up of non-essential shops, gyms, campsites, beer gardens, outdoor hospitality and, thankfully for so many of us, barbers.
I have no doubt that all our local hairdressers will be among the busiest premises from Monday 12th April, although it is a close call between the race for a haircut and the swift move to a pub for a socially distanced pint with friends.
The gradual opening up of shops and facilities which have been shut for much of the last year will mean it’s time to get back to work - time to rev up the great engine of the British economy and make it purr once more.
This month the Government has made almost 400 qualifications available for free, to help adults gain in-demand skills and secure great jobs. £95m in Government funding is being made available as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, with the qualifications on offer ranging from engineering to social care to conservation and are available to the 11 million adults who have not already achieved a qualification at Level 3 (equivalent to A levels).
I’m a great believer in learning new things at every stage of life – it might be home skills like cooking, personal skills like learning how to do home banking on a smart phone, or work skills needed to get the job you want and our economy needs. For some people the desire to learn comes later than the school system allows – the Lifetime Skills Guarantee means anyone can train or retrain at almost any age. See here for more details https://www.gov.uk/guidance/free-courses-for-jobs
