Skills England to Revitalize the Careers Education in Schools

The government has said it is launching a new body called Skills England that will oversee enhancing school careers education. This new body will collaborate with businesses, educational providers, unions, mayoral combined authorities, and government entities in creating a high-skilled workforce for England.

In its first report, which it publishes today, interim chair Richard Pennycook argues that the fundamental levels of literacy and numeracy are key to enabling efficient skills development. He comments: “We will work with schools to ensure they provide high-quality careers advice to their students.” With the UK at the sixth place in a global economy, Pennycook says productivity hasn’t changed in 30 years, arguing, thus, that to succeed in the future a complete transformation of the skills landscape is necessary.

Skills England, to be launched in a “shadow form” way before it starts next year, will map a comprehensive view of the deficits of skills as it exists today and suggest remedies. Collaboration between Industrial Strategy Council and Migration Advisory Council will also help in developing technical education which answers what the market wants, through accessible training under the new growth and skills levy.

The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said that although skills lie at the heart of the government’s agenda, the report details many challenges to these skills. “We have a broken and inscrutable skills landscape that fails learners, annoys businesses, and holds back growth,” she said. To effectively close skills gaps, there must be seamless flow of data between central government, regional bodies, and providers at the local level, according to the report.

The report points out critical demand of over 2.5 million at roles in the UK, especially in health and social care, education, manufacturing, and science. The skills shortages have also been identified; critical shortages exist, at significant levels, across areas of literacy, numeracy, digital competencies, and cognitive abilities.

Skills England will collaborate with the DfE to encourage more engagement and participation in local skills ecosystems. The body is set to host a series of roundtables and webinars over this autumn, which should help it adapt and refine its assessment of skills needs and shape its operational strategies.