“Making Skills England Work” Virtual Roundtable 

Making Skills England Work was a live online initiative brought to you by FE News and Edge Foundation which gathered together a range of stakeholders and influencers from across the further education and skills sector.  The event delivered valuable perspectives and insights from across the skills ecosystem. We discussed how to make Skills England impactful for the future of skills , of work, in Government, for local authorities, employers, Training Providers and Colleges.  

Gavin O’Meara from FE News hosted with Edge Executive Director Olly Newton. The session focused on three critical questions: how Skills England can effectively influence government, how it can turn data into action across regions, and how it can work productively with education providers. 

PART 1: How can Skills England influence Government? 

Jennifer Coupland, from LSBU (recently IfATE CEO) and Simon Pirotte CEO of Medr discussed positioning Skills England as an authoritative and impactful voice across government, capturing political will and securing funding. Cross departmental collaboration, developing a new culture and bringing civil servants, employers and training providers on the journey will be essential. 

PART 2: How should Skills England turn data into action across the regions and industry sectors? 

Guests for this section were Rob West from CBI and Mahfia Watkinson from West Midlands Combined Authority. We discussed engaging employers and strategic partners and building connections between national and local skills priorities. Rob and Mahfia also covered turning data into action and avoiding duplication, whilst leveraging labour market insights to drive sustainable workforce solutions. All this, plus incentivising skills training and employment against a backdrop of economic and system challenges. 

PART 3: How should Skills England work effectively with education and training providers? 

Guests were Mike Blakeley, Executive Director of Future Skills & Apprenticeships at Exeter College and Nichola Hay, Director of Apprenticeship Strategy and Policy at BPP. They  gave us an interesting College and ITP perspective on the potential of Skills England. Nichola and Mike discussed how Skills England can work effectively with stakeholders to develop and deliver policy (e.g. determining the scope of the Growth and Skills Levy), and delivering skills training against a backdrop of stretched provision in a sector that has seen considerable policy churn. 

As Skills England takes shape, we hope our round table discussion provides valuable perspectives on creating a skills system that works for learners, employers, and the economy.  

Check out the catch up video below: