Steve Smith from SIAS discusses Skills England, increasing flexibilities and rethinking End Point Assessment

We catch up with Steve Smith, Managing Director of SIAS at the Federation of Awarding Bodies Annual conference (#FAB2024). We discuss Skills England and what Steve would like to see for the future of Skills England.

Steve is encouraged and reassured that Skills England, with a national skills plan alongside the industrial strategy, particularly Skills England being labour market led.

What would you want to see for Qualifications for the jobs of the future?

The importance of linking to employers needs, now and into the future, particularly for emerging tech and fast-moving sectors, is so labour market-led. Steve discusses the importance of awarding organisations need to be involved in coming together with key stakeholders, employers, training providers and Government.

Flexibility of the Levy and rethinking End Point Assessment

Steve discusses flexibility, qualifications, the flexibility of the new Levy and the importance of an independent End Point Assessment process for Apprenticeships for employers and learners. Steve discusses the SIAS model of working more closely with employers and learners and working with learners early, rather than at the end of End Point Assessment.

Check out the video with Steve below: