Government launches Skills England

The government has launched Skills England, a new body aiming to “create a shared national ambition to boost the nation’s skills”, after stating that the current system “is in a mess”.

Announced in the King’s Speech last week, Skills England will bring together key partners in the skills arena - including local government, businesses and training providers - to provide “strategic oversight” of the post-16 skills system and meet the skills requirements of the next decade, according to the Department for Education (DfE).

Skills England will be established within the next 12 months as an arm’s length body. It will aim to:

• Develop a “single picture” of national skills needs, working with industry, other government departments (OGDs), the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), unions and the Industrial Strategy Council to build and maintain a comprehensive assessment of current and future skills needs
• Identify the priority areas for skills training, including the training for which the new Growth and Skills Levy – replacing the Apprenticeship Levey - will be accessible. In doing so, it will ensure that businesses are able to use their skills funding more flexibly and effectively.
• Play a crucial role in ensuring …