London, UK: The government has launched Skills England which aims to “bring together key partners to meet the skills needs of the next decade”.
Prime minister Keir Starmer pointed out that between 2017 and 2022 skills shortages in this country doubled to more than half a million, and now account for 36% of job vacancies.
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.
Starmer said: “Our skills system is in a mess, which is why we are transforming our approach to meet skills needs over the coming decades.
“They will help to deliver our number one mission as a government, to kickstart economic growth, by opening up new opportunities for young people and enabling British businesses to recruit more home-grown talent.
“From construction to IT, healthcare to engineering, our success as a country depends on delivering highly skilled workforces for the long-term. Skills England will put in place the framework needed to achieve that goal while reducing our reliance on workers from overseas.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Employers want to invest in their workers but for too long have been held back from accessing the training they need.
“Skills England 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.”
The organisation will identify the training for which the growth and skills levy will be accessible, giving businesses more flexibility to spend levy funds on training for the skills they need, which employers have long been calling for.
Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9-12 months to create a responsive and collaborative skills system.
The Skills England Bill announced this week will transfer functions from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to Skills England.
