Called Skills England, the initiative has been launched by prime minister Keir Starmer and education secretary Bridget Phillipson and is chaired by former Co-operative Group CEO Richard Pennycook CBE. Richard joins on an interim basis.

Skills England will bring together central and local government, businesses, unions and training providers to meet the skills of the next generation.

In particular, construction and healthcare will be focused on to provide “strategic oversight of the post-16 skills system aligned to the government’s industrial strategy”.

Unveiling the initiative, the prime minister said: “Our skills system is in a mess, which is why we are transforming our approach to meet skills needs over the coming decades.

“From construction to IT, healthcare to engineering, our success as a country depends on delivering highly skilled workforces for the long-term. Skills England will put in place the framework needed to achieve that goal while reducing our reliance on workers from overseas.”

The FMB - which estimates that over 240,000 additional workers will be needed over the next four years in the construction industry - welcomed the government announcement but urged greater clarity over these plans.

Brian Berry, CEO at the FMB, said details on how the initiative will operate remain “light”.

•   The Finance Professional Show 2023: The Video
•   Industry blast Starmer leasehold tenure remarks
•   LGPS invests £150m in Octopus Affordable Housing Fund

He added: “It will be vital that future delivery focuses on a long-term skills plan being put in place, and that plans to allow up to 50% of the apprenticeship levy to be redirected into other forms of training don’t result in a fall in the number of construction apprenticeships available.”

What is known is that Skills England will be established in phases over the next 9-12 months.

Skills England will form a permanent board, chair and CEO in “due course”.

The group will hold responsibility for maintaining a list of levy-eligible training, with a mix of government-funded training available to learners — the government has also pledged to bring forward a “comprehensive strategy” for post-16 education.

Earlier this week, the Skills England bill announced functions from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to Skills England. IfATE will continue its important work in the interim as the transition of functions to Skills England is finalised.

In response, Brian wants greater clarity around what this means for construction-specific apprenticeships.

“It raises a question about what role the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) will play in this new system,” said Brian.

“We’re still awaiting publication of the Mark Framer performance review of CITB, which may help provide some clarity. The Secretary of State for Education should publish the report as soon as possible to ensure the industry has stability about its future training needs.”