We’re living through exciting times for skills training in this country and it was really positive to see that responsibility for skills will now sit within the Department for Work and Pensions under a new secretary of state, Pat McFadden. This brings together employment support and skills development under one department.
It was also welcome news that Jacqui Smith will stay on as skills minister, working across DWP and the Department for Education – strengthening Skills England’s ability to work across government.
Ensuring the system fills key skills gaps and supports many more people who need it most into rewarding careers is a top priority. The prime minister has stressed it will be vital to the success of the missions to support economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity. Skills England’s driving ethos is “better skills for better jobs” and our vision is to build our nation’s world-class skills, supporting the two missions.
We have made a good start. The government is rebalancing the apprenticeships programme back towards young people beginning their careers. As a first step, Skills England developed foundation apprenticeships, which became available in August, for priority areas including construction, engineering and manufacturing, health and social care, and digital.
These are a great option for young people who might otherwise have struggled to gain access to apprenticeships, training them up with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a given job, plus employability skills supporting transition from education to work. Backed by a £2,000 employer incentive, they will open up opportunities for tens of thousands of young people to earn while they learn.
Another barrier was an unnecessarily complex apprenticeship assessment system. In February, new principles were published to support more flexible delivery so assessment can happen at the right time, ensure apprentices are assessed on what matters most to employers, and remove duplication. Every apprenticeship must still meet the required off-the-job training hours, be subject to Ofsted inspection and include rigorous assessment. Skills England is engaging with employers and providers to rewrite existing assessment plans.
Employers’ calls for more flexibility have been heard. The old 12-month minimum duration prevented some employers and learners from accessing apprenticeships, so it was reduced to eight months. Skills England has updated apprenticeships accordingly, following engagement with employers.
Many employers, including smaller businesses, complained the old apprenticeship levy was too restrictive because apprenticeships don’t always suit their training needs. This is being addressed through a more flexible Growth and Skills Levy. Skills England is advising government and engaging with employers, training providers, unions and other partners to ensure the broader skills offer delivers value for money, supports business needs and helps kickstart growth.
Skills England works closely with the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, which I’m a member of. We’re supporting departments responsible for priority sectors on comprehensive skills packages: the first, for construction, was announced in March and the second, for defence, in September.
I’m part of the cross-government Labour Market Evidence Group, which supports the aim of rebalancing the labour market away from an over-reliance on international recruitment and towards domestic workers.
Having a national body working with local leaders will help meet local skills needs while ensuring alignment with national priorities. We will work closely with strategic authorities and employer representative bodies and I am looking forward to meeting with the metro mayors regularly. Collaboration with devolved governments will further help to spread best practice across the four nations.
Skills England’s work is data driven. We have already published three major reports that analysed current and future skills needs and engagement by sector with apprenticeships and technical qualifications.
The most recent found jobs in areas such as digital, adult social care, construction and engineering will experience some of the biggest increases in demand. Over a quarter of a million people enter priority occupations from the skills system each year. We need to make sure they learn the right skills.
As chair of this fantastic new organisation, I’ve witnessed the transformative potential within our nation’s workforce. Yet I’ve also seen how skills shortages and a fragmented training system are holding back both individual opportunity and businesses from investing in training, filling skills gaps and putting themselves in the best position to succeed. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in a short space of time with refocusing the system and we’re determined to make it simpler to understand and engage with.
We’re building an open culture that will help to improve our engagement, build trust and make Skills England an inspirational place to work. Every foundation apprenticeship we create, every barrier we remove and every partnership we forge represents lives changed, economic growth and careers unlocked, and businesses empowered to succeed.