Anne Milton announced as the new Skills Minister

Hot off the Press: It is speculated that Anne Milton will take over from Robert Halfon as the new Skills Minister. Anne Milton is the MP for Guildford. Although it is not 100% official (DfE have not confirmed the post as yet), it is looking pretty likely to be announced by DfE tomorrow (14th June 2017)… and is the front runner for the worst kept secret for this week! 

What does the sector think about the news:

Steve Nash, Chief Executive at the IMI, said:

“The IMI welcomes the news that Anne Milton MP has been appointed to the role of Minister for Skills, and we’re delighted that she already has a raft of experience, and interest, in the futures of young people. Britain is facing a turbulent time with many unanswered questions so we believe it’s more important than ever that we have people in place that can drive forward the reforms surrounding apprenticeships and skills.

“The motor industry is wholeheartedly committed to apprenticeships, already the IMI certificates 12,000 apprentices each year.  And, with the introduction of the Levy, giving more businesses financial support towards training, we expect those numbers to increase to tackle the ever-widening skills gap.  

“Now is the time for government to run a tight ship with a strong minister in place so that both the motor industry in particular, and the UK as a whole can  reap the rewards from the increased numbers choosing the vocational training route.”

Ian Pretty, CEO of Collab Group comments:

“We look forward to working with Anne Milton as the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills. The skills and apprenticeship agenda is vital, and Collab Group Colleges play a key role in delivering the skills to drive economic growth and productivity. There are several issues that we see as vital to this agenda: from the creation of employer-led Institutes of Technology, to enabling colleges to support a successful exit from the EU, as well as ensuring that colleges can explore options for creating new operational structures where there is a clear business need to do so. We look forward to engaging with the Minister to deliver maximum value for learners, staff and industry.”  

Stephen Evans from Learning and Work Institute comments: 

“We welcome Anne Milton to her role. As Britain prepares for life outside the European Union, the new Minister has an incredibly important job to do in building the high quality, responsive and accessible skills system our economy is going to need; providing lifelong learning and apprenticeship opportunities for the current and future workforce.

“Further Education and lifelong learning is vital for social justice and opportunity. We need urgent action and investment to help the nine million adults with low literacy or numeracy to improve their skills. We need to focus on high quality technical education and Apprenticeships, ensuring they deliver jobs and career improvements. And we need to make sure employers get the skills they need, and invest in learning, to grow our economy. There are big challenges, but lots of people who want to make it work. I hope the Minister takes an open and collaborative approach.

“Learning and Work Institute has a strong relationship with the Department in helping to find the solutions to those problems. I’m looking forward to getting started with the new Minister.”

Mark Dawe, Chief Executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP): comments:

“We’re delighted that we have a new skills minister who has taken a close interest in the future for young people in her own constituency and we welcome her to her new post.  The minister will appreciate from a local perspective how vital it is that the reforms work well for smaller businesses as well as Guildford’s large employers that wish to offer young people apprenticeships and so we will be asking her to make the non-levy funding allocations her highest immediate priority.  We will also ask her to involve providers in the earliest stages of the design of the proposed new National Retraining Scheme.  The expertise and experience of AELP members with their employer links could make a major difference in ensuring that the programme gets off to a successful start.”

David Hughes Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said:

“Congratulations to Anne Milton on her appointment as the Minister responsible for skills and apprenticeships.  This is a critical area not only for colleges, but the UK’s economy in a post-Brexit world. 
 
“The implementation of the apprenticeship reforms and the introduction of T Levels will be high on the Minister’s agenda in the coming months. We had a strong and productive relationship with her predecessor Robert Halfon, and I’m looking forward to this continuing.”