The Prime Minister and Education Secretary have launched Skills England to ‘bring together the fractured skills landscape and create a shared national ambition to boost the nation’s skills.’
The new body will bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions – particularly in construction and healthcare -, providing strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system aligned to the government’s Industrial Strategy.
The Education Secretary has also appointed Richard Pennycook CBE, former chief executive of the Co-operative Group and lead non-executive director at the Department for Education (DfE), as the interim chair of Skills England.
The DfE said that between 2017 and 2022 skills shortages in this country doubled to more than half a million, and now account for 36% of job vacancies.
By working with the Migration Advisory Committee, Skills England will also help reduce reliance on overseas workers.
Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9 to 12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Our skills system is in a mess, which is why we are transforming our approach to meet skills needs over the coming decades.
“They will help to deliver our number one mission as a government, to kickstart economic growth, by opening up new opportunities for young people and enabling British businesses to recruit more home-grown talent.
“From construction to IT, healthcare to engineering, our success as a country depends on delivering highly skilled workforces for the long-term. Skills England will put in place the framework needed to achieve that goal while reducing our reliance on workers from overseas.”
Commenting on the announcement, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) have said that Skills England’s success will be dependent on what it prioritises and having a long-term skills plan in place.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, commented: “Over recent weeks, the new government has set out ambitious plans to get Britain building again, but this can only be achieved if the skills crisis is tackled.
“There is a serious shortage of all trades in the construction industry, with the result that we need additional 240,000+ workers over the next four years. The Prime Minister’s announcement to set up Skills England recognises the seriousness of the problem, but details about how Skills England will operate remain light. It will be vital that future delivery focuses on a long-term skills plan being put in place, and that plans to allow up to 50% of the Apprenticeship Levy to be redirected into other forms of training don’t result in a fall in the number of construction apprenticeships available.”
He continued: “As part of the Prime Minister’s announcement that the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) will be amalgamated into the new Skills England, maintaining current skill levels, and increasing numbers further, must remain a key focus.
“It raises a question about what role the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) will play in this new system. We’re still awaiting publication of the Mark Framer performance review of CITB, which may help provide some clarity. The Secretary of State for Education should publish the report as soon as possible to ensure the industry has stability about its future training needs.”
