Skills England is officially now up and running.  Following parliamentary debate, the functions of the former Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) have now transferred to an executive agency within the Department for Education, known as Skills England.

The new agency will build on the work IfATE has done to work with employers and local leaders to shape skills policy and delivery in England. 

Contributing to the government’s Industrial Strategy, Skills England’s responsibilities include:

• Working across government to provide the authoritative voice on current and future skills needs in order to inform the government’s mission to kickstart economic growth 
• Publishing sector skills assessments with an analysis of needs.  Assessments have been published for its 10 priority sectors which include health and adult social care, digital and technologies, creative industries, and construction.
• Co-creating and refining a set of education and training “products” with employers and other partners, including occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications, and bringing together what the DfE terms the “fragmented skills system”.
• Advising the DfE on how to best shape the growth and skills offer to tackle local labour market challenges and respond to national priorities whilst reducing reliance on overseas labour.