Gov shakes up L&D | Skills England - what is it and what does HR need to know?

The Prime Minister and Education Secretary have announced the launch of Skills England, a new public training body, to bring together what’s been described as a “fractured skills landscape” and create “a shared national ambition to boost the nation’s skills.”

Skills England will bring together central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions, providing strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system aligned to the Government’s Industrial Strategy.  

Supporting local areas to develop the skilled workforces they need – in particular across construction and healthcare - is fundamental to the Government’s mission to raise growth sustainably. By working with the Migration Advisory Committee, Skills England will also help reduce reliance on overseas workers.  

The organisation will identify the training for which the growth and skills levy will be accessible – an important reform, giving businesses more flexibility to spend levy funds on training for the skills they need, which employers have long been calling for.