Recommendation 28

DfE told us that the Unit for Future Skills currently had 18 staff. It said that the Unit had struggled to recruit the highly skilled analysts it needed. We therefore asked whether these staffing pressures had been resolved. DfE explained that it had experienced some of the same challenges of recruiting highly skilled analysts that others had experienced, but that it was confident the Unit would achieve a full complement in time. DfE explained that the Unit was growing and that it would continue to make sure that it secured the right people.43 It asserted that the staffing shortfall was not affecting the Unit’s work and also noted that, due to the Unit’s small size, it commissioned research from academics and others as part of its work programme. DfE provided examples of the Unit’s initiatives to improve data transparency, which included publishing dashboards of career pathways and graduate outcomes. The Unit had also worked with HM Revenue & Customs to access better occupation data, which DfE will use to build its understanding of the skills needs of different employment sectors.44 39 Qq 20–21, 23 40 C&AG’s Report, paras 3.14–3.15 41 C&AG’s Report para 3.15 42 Qq 67–68, 72 43 Q 68 44 Qq 68–69, 73–74 16 Developing workforce skills for a strong economy