UK Government Launches Skills England to Fuel Growth and Boost Job Opportunities

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson have announced the launch of Skills England, an initiative designed to unify the fragmented skills landscape and establish a shared national ambition to boost the nation's skills.

Skills are essential to economic growth, contributing to a third of productivity improvements over the past two decades.

From 2017 to 2022, the skills shortage doubled, impacting over half a million vacancies and representing 36 percent of job openings.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "Our skills system is in a mess, which is why we are transforming our approach to meet skills needs over the coming decades. They will help to deliver our number one mission as a government, to kickstart economic growth, by opening up new opportunities for young people and enabling British businesses to recruit more home-grown talent."

Skills England will integrate central and local government, businesses, training providers, and unions to address the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.

The organization will provide strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system in alignment with the Government's Industrial Strategy.

Dr. Adeshola Cole, CEO of Tritek Consulting, said, "Skills play a crucial role in all organizations, so the Government's focus on upskilling through Skills England is encouraging to see. As part of this launch, the Government should work closely with educators and industry to bridge the gap between the curriculum and the skills that employers need in the workplace, better equipping young people to transition into their first role. Areas such as AI and FinTech are moving quickly, requiring a new generation of digitally skilled people to oversee innovation and continue driving these sectors forward to fuel economic growth."

The first phase of Skills England's launch involves setting up the organization within the next 9-12 months.