Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
Create Skills Co-ordination Board by April 2026 to oversee regional adult education strategies.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department for Education and Skills England create a Skills Co-ordination Board by April 2026. Local areas must be given the flexibility to develop and implement their own tailor-made strategies on adult education and training; the purpose of the Skills Co- ordination Board therefore would be to oversee and co-ordinate regional strategies with national sector needs across the increasingly devolved skills landscape. The Skills Co-ordination Board would be responsible for driving quality of skills services in each region and ensuring there is consistency of effectiveness across local areas and no area is left behind. (Recommendation, Paragraph 64) Post-16 qualifications and pathways
Government Response Summary
The government highlights Skills England's existing role as a key driver for a high-functioning skills system, supporting integration and informing skills needs, and states that devolution and Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are the mechanisms for coordinating regional strategies with national sector needs. It does not commit to creating a new Skills Co-ordination Board.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government welcomes the Committee’s recognition of Skills England as a key driver of a high-functioning skills system that supports economic growth. Skills England supports the integration of skills development and employment support to better meet national and local workforce needs. As an executive agency, Skills England plays a central role in delivering the Government’s Plan for Change and industrial strategy. Its ambition is to create a world-class skills system that leaves no person or place behind. Skills England’s vision is to build world-class skills that underpin the Government’s growth and opportunity missions through ‘better skills for better jobs’. Skills England is already established as the authoritative voice on skills needs, informing the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, the Industrial Strategy sector plans and packages, and the Labour Market Evidence Group’s work on migration. The Government prioritises devolution and empowerment of Strategic Authorities, as outlined in the English Devolution White Paper, to boost economic growth. The Department welcomes the Committee’s support for expanding skills devolution so Strategic Authorities can tailor education and training to local needs. In 2025/26, the Department devolved 67% of the £1.44 billion Adult Skills Fund to 13 Strategic Authorities, enabling local leaders to align provision with demand. This is expected to rise to around 76% in 2026/27 with further devolution to seven more areas. The Government will continue working with Strategic Authorities to advance adult skills and deliver priorities in the Skills White Paper, creating a coherent system with clear pathways to employment. Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) have engaged thousands of businesses with local leaders and providers to address skills gaps and drive growth. LSIPs are central to Skills England’s analysis of skills needs, supported by timely intelligence from these plans. The English Devolution White Paper committed to strengthening Strategic Authorities’ role in LSIPs through joint ownership with Employer Representative Bodies (ERBs), requiring legislative change. For the next LSIP cycle, ERBs and Strategic Authorities will collaborate on development and review, with LSIP geographies aligned to Strategic Authority boundaries where possible.