With Skills England expected to formally begin operating next month, this report shows that this government agency is likely to face an uphill struggle as it seeks to become a credible and respected organisation both within and outside government because it is already facing significant headwinds before it has officially commenced operation.
The report identifies a wide range of issues that Skills England will face as it tries to work with other government departments and agencies outside of the Department for Education (DfE) where it is housed. Skills England’s new CEO role occupies too junior a position within the Civil Service to have sufficient visibility and impact elsewhere in government. That the DfE has repeatedly talked about Skills England as an internal agency that will merely ‘inform’ and ‘feed into’ ministerial decisions about funding and policy changes has further weakened Skills England’s authority as a source of leadership across government. The expectation that this new DfE agency will also command the confidence of seven government departments plus the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is another illustration of how the rhetoric around Skills England does not match the reality of how it has been established.
The report also highlights a range of contradictions related to the role of Skills England. The Government’s devolution agenda proposes handing more powers to Strategic Authorities over funding for skills and training, yet Skills England’s focus on 10 ‘priority sectors’ that are intended to support central government’s Industrial Strategy could cause tensions between ministers and local Mayors. These tensions may be amplified if Skills England distributes apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship funding through the upcoming Growth and Skills Levy in line with the Industrial Strategy, particularly if Strategic Authorities are denied funding to pursue their own local priorities. The decision to task Skills England with promoting partnerships and collaborations between higher education (HE) and further education (FE) providers is another possible source of contention, as Mayors are better placed to drive these changes at a local level but have not been given any funding to do so.
MARCH 2025
Times Higher Education – Skills England faces ‘uphill struggle’ to be heard, says Hepi
Research Professional News – Skills England will be toothless, think-tank analysis suggests