| Agency Type: | Non-ministerial government department |
| Formed: | 2024 |
| Jurisdiction: | England |
| Region Code: | GB |
| Chief1 Name: | Richard Pennycook CBE |
| Chief1 Position: | Interim Chair |
| Parent Department: | Department for Education |
| Agency Name: | Skills England |
Skills England is a government agency that would be created by the Skills England Bill. The agency would replace the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. The main purpose of the agency is to increase flexibility within the skills training area, to properly cater for skills shortages within regional economies. It would also use the apprenticeships levy more effectively. The main reason cited for the creation of Skills England is that between 2017 and 2022 skills shortages in the UK doubled to more than half a million, and accounted for 36% of job vacancies.[1]
Skills England was first proposed in the 2024 Labour Party manifesto. On 22 July 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the creation of the body at the Farnborough Airshow. The body would be rolled out over the next nine months.[2]