The education secretary has written to Skills England setting out the government’s priorities for skills development in the year ahead.
Bridget Phillipson says she is “delighted” that the flagship learning body is now fully established and reminded it of its central role in supporting economic growth and helping people into jobs.
Skills England was set up two weeks after the general election in July 2024, with a mission of bringing together the “fractured skills landscape”.
It aims to bring together government, local authorities, employers, training providers and trade unions to create a cohesive skills strategy that means employers rely less on overseas workers and build up domestic talent.
Skills England
In her letter, Phillipson urges Skills England to “co-design new approaches with industry and regional partners to improve the skills of our workforce, collaborating with a wide range of interested parties across the skills system, including devolved government counterparts where appropriate”.
There are four key asks of Skills England and its job-sharing chief executives Sarah Maclean and Tessa Griffiths:
First, that skills strategies are data-driven so that government departments can make informed decisions on labour market policies and priorities in different sectors and regions. This includes the publication of an annual skills assessment.
Skills England must then use these insights to inform the development of the “right skills training” at a local and national level, she adds.
“This should include co-creating and refining the occupational standards underpinning a set of qualifications and training products with employers and other partners, to ensure that employers are driving the training required to meet labour market and economic need and deliver our Missions,” the letter adds.
From here, Skills England must simplify access to skills, including technical education and apprenticeships, reducing bureaucracy and duplication within the system.
It must work towards improving employer engagement in technical education, and “ensure a high-quality employer experience of Skills England”.
Finally, Skills England must “mobilise” responses to skills gaps, working with trade unions, employers, higher and further education providers and others.
This includes forming Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) and working alongside the Labour Market Evidence Group and Migration Advisory Committee on boosting the domestic skills pipeline.
Phillipson calls upon Skills England to attract “significant internationally mobile investors” by developing a service that will help investors navigate the UK skills offer and provide them with access to key skills partners.
“This agenda is urgent and central to the Government’s Missions,” she concludes. “I know you will build on the momentum from Skills England’s time in shadow form to firmly establish the organisation at the centre of our national skills landscape.”
The government’s skills strategy has come under fire in recent weeks, in particular a decision last week to cease funding for Level 7 apprentices unless they are under 22.
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