It’s hard to imagine a more important set of roles than those of the new Chair, Vice Chair and joint Chief Executives of Skills England, the Department for Education’s arms-length body tasked with “meeting the skills needs of the next decade”. The public need to see visible movement on the Government’s five missions: fixing the economy, the NHS, energy bills, crime and education. Underpinning each of these missions lies skills. Quite simply, none of the targets – whether that be higher productivity, housebuilding, the transition to Net Zero, reducing NHS waiting lists or recruiting 6,500 teachers – will be deliverable without swift action to ensure we have a skilled workforce. Edge welcomes the appointments of Phil Smith as chair and Sir David Bell as Vice Chair of Skills England along with Tessa Griffiths and Sarah Maclean as joint chief executives. They will bring a wealth of experience to the roles and we are looking forward to working with them as Skills England develops.
But, how do they ensure that Skills England isn’t just another fleeting quango? How do they make sure it can turn data intelligence into action? And how can they hold sway with the Secretaries of State and their Permanent Secretaries across Whitehall, regional Mayors, employers (in large and small businesses) and the wider skills sector?
Here are a few top tips and points of contact from the people who have been around this particular block before.
Establish a popular culture. The new chair, vice chair and joint chief executives all have a solid understanding of the complex skills system, a clear vision, and experience building effective stakeholder relationships. But it’s all too easy to set off on a vision, without bringing the people in charge of delivery along with you. Civil servants in the Department for Education have seen considerable upheaval, staffing the design and consultation behind the roll-out of T Levels, the Review of Level 3 qualifications, the Advanced British Standard and, presently, the Curriculum and Assessment Review, post-16 skills strategy and shadow Skills England. The changing machinery of Government is part and parcel of civil service life, but there’s a way to handle it effectively. Building a strong culture and identity within Skills England will be key to delivering its mission.
Who to turn to for some warm words of advice on building an effective culture? Simon Pirotte OBE, Chief Executive of Medr (the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research) in Wales, who has overseen its establishment since 2023.
The data only gets you so far. Goodness knows we all love data, don’t we? But let’s make sure the work of Skills England isn’t duplicating the work that’s already being done, both inside and outside government. Get outside the office, make Skills England’s work known to other teams and build connections with those influencing or implementing skills policy, like the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Migration Advisory Council. Skills England should leverage the skills reporting that already exists with organisations like the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses. Building these relationships and getting business onside will be integral to success. Understanding what change is needed means engagement with stakeholders, learners, educators and employers outside the Westminster bubble is vital.
Who gets data? Carole Willis, now Chief Executive of the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and former Chief Analyst and Scientific Adviser at the DfE; or try Timo Hanay, founder of School Dash, whose expertise spans all things education and AI.
Create an allied skills army across Departments. Skills England cannot succeed in isolation. It’s no use identifying 980,000 critical demand jobs in health and social care if it cannot work effectively with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and, crucially, the Treasury on the policy solutions that will help fill those roles. It’s possible to use existing cross-Departmental mechanisms to influence properly, and there is precedent for doing so. Towards the end of the Blair Government, the Public Service Agreement targets were really starting to have impact across Departments. Now, the five ‘Mission Boards’ may prove to be similarly useful, as will the new Office for Clean Energy Jobs.
Another inspiration model for Skills England is the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), headed up by the Chief Scientific Adviser. As well as providing scientific advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet (most famously as Sir Patrick Vallance did during the pandemic), GO-Science is operationally independent and works across all of Government to influence decision-making through its network of Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers – which hold different levels of office. With strong support in the Lords, the Edge Foundation has championed the idea of establishing cross-Departmental Skills Advisers, with the CEO of Skills England akin to a Chief Skills Adviser. These experts could connect the dots between skills initiatives and wider government objectives.
Want to make this your first priority? We’d start by talking to Professor Dame Angela McLean and her team at GO-Science.
Speak truth unto power. Any army needs strong leaders with commanding voices. To some the skills sector is a messy, complicated landscape, with blurred lines of responsibility between educators, employers, individuals and Government. It has often failed to capture the political will, but this Government cannot afford to neglect our skills deficits.
Queen of dealing with the hand dealt? Anne Longfield CBE, former Children’s Commissioner (2015-2021), breathed new life into the role. She has become a well-respected, independent campaigning voice across Government through turbulent political times and the pandemic.