As part of its commitment to change, the new government announced the formation of Skills England, a body that will bring together businesses, trades unions, national and local government with the aim of fixing the fractured skills system.

Skills England will have serious challenges to tackle if it is to bring about real change. Currently, the UK lags other countries on skills, with government funding £1 billion lower in England than in 2010 and employers investing 26% less per employee than in 2005.

This briefing sets out steps the Government should take to make Skills England successful, and highlights the importance of learning from the approaches of other countries and from previous governments’ attempts. It argues that Skills England must have real power to guide the system, and notes that an effective, joined-up skills system will only come as part of an overall lifelong learning strategy and integration with other public policy objectives.