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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Developing workforce skills for a strong economy

Status: Closed Opened: 6 Sep 2022 Closed: 24 Feb 2023 6 recommendations 22 conclusions 1 report

In July 2022 the NAO reported that the UK “faces a major challenge in ensuring it has a sufficiently skilled workforce”, with the head of the NAO, the Comptroller and Auditor General, concluding that “There is a risk that, despite government’s greater activity and good intent, its approach may be no more successful than previous …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce skills for a strong… HC 685 14 Dec 2022 28 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
6 Recommendation Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce… Not Addressed

DfE has high expectations for its new Unit for Future Skills, but the Unit does...

DfE has high expectations for its new Unit for Future Skills, but the Unit does not yet have all the skilled staff it needs to meet these expectations. In February 2022, DfE announced the creation of a Unit for Future Skills. This is a division within DfE but is intended …

Government response. This response addresses recommendations from a different Public Accounts Committee report, not the Foreign Affairs Committee report. Therefore, it does not engage with the substance of the recommendation.
HM Treasury
7 Conclusion Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce…

We asked DfE about the causes of the decline, both in overall participation and among...

We asked DfE about the causes of the decline, both in overall participation and among participants in disadvantaged areas. It replied that one of the main reasons for the overall fall in learner numbers was the reduction in the amount of funding it had put into the system over the …

HM Treasury
8 Conclusion Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce…

DfE suggested several possible reasons for the particular decline in participation in disadvantaged areas and...

DfE suggested several possible reasons for the particular decline in participation in disadvantaged areas and among disadvantaged learners. First, it told us that there had been bigger drops in participation in lower levels of study than in higher levels. Second, it explained that it was harder in deprived areas to …

HM Treasury
9 Conclusion Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce…

In written evidence, the Federation of Small Businesses told us that making the apprenticeships system...

In written evidence, the Federation of Small Businesses told us that making the apprenticeships system work better for small employers was fundamental to increasing participation among young people and disadvantaged groups. It noted that, since the apprenticeships reforms in 2017, there had been an increase in the number of adults …

HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
17 Oct 2022 Carl Creswell · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Paul Kett · Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education View ↗