Skills England

What is Skills England?

Skills England is the Labour government’s initiative for skills and education. Alongside the Department for Education, it will be responsible for the skills levy, and incorporate the work currently delivered by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

Its ambition is to bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.

The body will take shape over the latter half of 2024 and into 2025, driven primarily by IfATE.

How does Skills England work?

As part of the launch announcement for Skills England, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 

 “Skills England will jumpstart young people’s careers and galvanise local economies. It will bring businesses together with trade unions, mayors, universities, colleges and training providers to give us a complete picture of skills gaps nationwide, boost growth in all corners of the country and give people the opportunity to get on in life.”

This includes 5 key measures:

• Assessing future skills needs
• Building strong relationships with employers
• Transfer IfATE functions into Skills England
• Develop and own a list of levy-eligible training, aligned with real skills needs, and ensuring value for money
• Provide a comprehensive strategy for post16 education to break down barriers to opportunity, develop a future-ready skilled workforce, and drive economic growth

The introduction of technical excellence colleges

With the aim to break down barriers to opportunity, grow a skilled workforce, and drive economic growth, the government plan to introduce a comprehensive strategy for post-16 education. 

This will come alongside the introduction of ‘technical excellence colleges’ – in which existing education institutions which meet specialist local skills needs in their regions will bid for a new status under Labour as TECs. 

Our view on the launch of Skills England

We are encouraged and motivated to see the skills agenda front and centre of the new government’s growth plans.  

We believe that Skills England, and its systematic approach to transforming opportunities and growth, is a strong sign of commitment and will facilitate the joining of key partners to meet the skills needs of the next decade across regions.  

We know that a quicker, more agile route to validated programmes that can flex to meet emerging demands would be well-met by training providers and employers. We also understand this needs to operate smoothly in real life; overcomplication through paperwork and regulation will kill buy-in. 

We are aligned with the government in the belief that optimal outcomes can only be delivered through Skills England actively listening to employers and training providers. This will allow us to innovate fresh approaches and address challenges in the current apprenticeship and skills system whilst retaining many of the aspects which are working so well.  

As QA’s Chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield (former Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills) discussed with Ed Vaizey at Times Radio:  

"The current skills system is complex, fragmented and has been hampered by political change. However, in many places the apprenticeship levy is working with life-changing and business-transforming impact. 

Skills are a critical enabler of growth, and sufficient talent to fill key roles in a changing digital world will be crucial to move the UK forward. 

The principal challenge of that digital change is keeping pace: Different skills needs come and go faster than previous government-funded skills systems could deliver – especially in a world increasingly reshaped by AI tools, skills and emerging roles." 

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