Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026
Correspondence from Skills England, relating to oral evidence taken on 22 April
From: Work and Pensions Committee
Inquiry: The work of Skills England
Summary
Skills England responds to Work and Pensions Committee questions following April 2026 oral evidence. The organisation outlines its role in analysing skills needs, supporting young people's transition to work, collaborating with the Jobs and Careers Service, maintaining occupational standards through an Expert Network approach, and provides a link to published evidence on level 7 apprenticeship funding changes.
Key findings
- Skills England is publishing an Annual Skills Report analysing workforce demand, skills shortages and labour market trends, with an Annual Delivery Plan in Summer 2026 focusing on young people's transitions into work.
- Strong collaboration is developing between Skills England, Strategic Authorities, the Jobs and Careers Service, and local partners; the Investment & Infrastructure Skills Service identifies workforce needs for major projects and aligns training provision.
- Occupational Standards are being maintained through a new Expert Network approach bringing together employers, providers, professional bodies, assessment organisations, trade unions and wider partners.
- Skills England is developing a more agile, data-driven process to approve occupational standards against clear priority criteria, with apprenticeship units drawn directly from approved occupational standard content.
- Published evidence on level 7 apprenticeship funding changes is available on GOV.UK, with Skills England continuing to build insight into barriers young people face in employment and training transitions.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Skills England, Work and Pensions Committee, Phil Smith CBE, Jobs and Careers Service, Strategic Authorities, Jobcentre Plus, Construction Industry Training Board
Notable line
“Combining Skills England's labour market insight with local delivery capability creates stronger pipelines from training into employment and supports a more coherent …”
Key Quotes
“Skills England's role is to provide authoritative analysis of current and future skills needs and use that evidence to help strengthen the connection between education, training and employment opportunities.”
“Supporting stronger transitions into work for young people will be an important area of focus over the coming year and will feature within our forthcoming Annual Delivery Plan …”
“Occupational Standards are the bedrock of the technical education system.”
“Combining Skills England's labour market insight with local delivery capability creates stronger pipelines from training into employment and supports a more coherent offer for employers and learners alike.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗