With Skills England expected to formally begin operating next month, a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) 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. Written by Tom Richmond, a former government advisor on skills policy, the report ‘When Skills England calls, will anybody answer the phone?’ finds that Skills England 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.
Tom Richmond, author of the report and former advisor to two Education Secretaries on skills policy, said:
‘Unless Skills England is given genuine independence from ministers, it will struggle to gain the trust and confidence of its most important stakeholders within and outside government. The decision to put civil servants in charge of this new agency has weakened its credibility among employers and training providers, making the policy mountain that Skills England must climb even steeper.’
‘If Skills England calls, it is not yet clear why any employer, provider or Strategic Authority would pick up the phone. Skills England’s two most recent predecessors both failed to last a single decade before being shut down. The evidence in this report suggests that, from the moment it launches, Skills England will face a similar battle to be relevant and respected.’
Notes to Editors
- HEPI was founded in 2002 to influence the higher education debate with evidence. We are UK-wide, independent and non-partisan. HEPI is funded by organisations and higher education institutions that wish to see vibrant policy discussions.
- Tom Richmond is an education policy analyst and host of the ‘Inside Your Ed’ podcast. He has spent over 20 years in the world of education, which has included working as a secondary school teacher, think tank director and advisor to two Education Secretaries and ministerial teams at the Department for Education.