Thirtieth Report - Developing workforce skills for a strong economy

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 685 14 December 2022
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 28 items (6 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 28 of 28 classified)
Accepted 12
Acknowledged 12
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 3
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirtieth report from Session 2022-23 · published 24 Feb 2023
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Recommendations & Conclusions

12 results
3 Recommendation Accepted
The multiplicity of government skills programmes makes it hard for employers and individuals to navigate...
Recommendation
The multiplicity of government skills programmes makes it hard for employers and individuals to navigate to the training that best meets their needs. As well as DfE’s range of interventions to support skills development, DWP and DLUHC also offer skills … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government will simplify the further education funding system, integrate the Traineeship programme into existing provision, simplify the post-16 qualifications landscape, improve alignment between the National Careers Service and The Careers & Enterprise Company, deliver joined-up campaigns under the Skills for Life brand, and work closely with other departments to address workforce issues.
HM Treasury
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4 Recommendation Accepted
Employers are spending less than they used to on workforce training, which risks leaving the...
Recommendation
Employers are spending less than they used to on workforce training, which risks leaving the economy without the skills it needs. DfE’s employer skills surveys indicate that employers’ spending on workforce training per employee fell in real terms from £1,710 … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government will review how it incentivises employers to invest in skills development, including through the apprenticeship levy, and take action to improve the effectiveness of the incentives, with a focus on SMEs and making apprenticeships more flexible.
HM Treasury
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5 Recommendation Accepted
We are concerned that continuing financial pressures and workforce challenges are hampering colleges’ ability to...
Recommendation
We are concerned that continuing financial pressures and workforce challenges are hampering colleges’ ability to play a full part in the skills system. Colleges play an important role in reaching disadvantaged groups and giving people opportunities they would not otherwise … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government will provide an additional £1.6 billion for 16-19 year olds education, uplift funding rates, increase cost weighting for specific subjects, address uneven monthly payments to colleges, and invest in direct support for the FE sector including bursaries and recruitment campaigns.
HM Treasury
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7 Conclusion Accepted
We asked DfE about the causes of the decline, both in overall participation and among...
Conclusion
We asked DfE about the causes of the decline, both in overall participation and among participants in disadvantaged areas. It replied that one of the main reasons for the overall fall in learner numbers was the reduction in the amount … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has implemented several initiatives to address declining participation, including a £3.8 billion investment in skills, a Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Multiply programme, Level 2 Entitlement, plans for SEND transition, and a new careers programme for primary schools.
HM Treasury
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8 Conclusion Accepted
DfE suggested several possible reasons for the particular decline in participation in disadvantaged areas and...
Conclusion
DfE suggested several possible reasons for the particular decline in participation in disadvantaged areas and among disadvantaged learners. First, it told us that there had been bigger drops in participation in lower levels of study than in higher levels. Second, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has implemented several initiatives to support disadvantaged groups and increase participation, including a £3.8 billion skills investment, the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Multiply programme, Level 2 Entitlement, and a new careers programme for primary schools.
HM Treasury
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9 Conclusion Accepted
In written evidence, the Federation of Small Businesses told us that making the apprenticeships system...
Conclusion
In written evidence, the Federation of Small Businesses told us that making the apprenticeships system work better for small employers was fundamental to increasing participation among young people and disadvantaged groups. It noted that, since the apprenticeships reforms in 2017, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and plans to increase SME participation by making apprenticeships more flexible with new flexi-job, front-loaded, and accelerated options, and will continue developing the programme's effectiveness for employers.
HM Treasury
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10 Conclusion Accepted
DfE has a framework of performance metrics for its portfolio of skills programmes which includes...
Conclusion
DfE has a framework of performance metrics for its portfolio of skills programmes which includes system-level measures, such as participation in FE and skills training by 7 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.17, 2.21, Figure 8 8 Qq 12, 14, 16 9 … Read more
Government Response Summary
The department continues to develop a comprehensive framework of performance metrics, including system-level measures, such as participation in FE and skills training by adults aged 19 and over, and measures for individual programmes, such as the number of apprenticeship starts.
HM Treasury
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14 Recommendation Accepted
DfE has a range of programmes to support workforce skills development, including well-established programmes such...
Recommendation
DfE has a range of programmes to support workforce skills development, including well-established programmes such as apprenticeships, along with newer initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps. In addition, other government departments, including DWP and DLUHC, run or fund programmes that contain … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to review the number of skills programmes and eliminate overlap between them, having consulted on proposals for a simpler further education funding system and integrating the Traineeship programme into existing provision from August 2023.
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion Accepted
The NAO report highlighted that there exists a complex and sometimes overlapping set of skills-related...
Conclusion
The NAO report highlighted that there exists a complex and sometimes overlapping set of skills-related initiatives, and the system can seem complicated and difficult to navigate. For example, people can access numeracy training through at least three routes: DfE’s Essential … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s conclusion and will deliver a simpler further education funding system by consulting on proposals, announcing new flexibility for funding in devolved areas, and setting simpler funding rates. It will also integrate the Traineeship programme into existing provision, simplify the qualifications landscape, improve alignment between the National Careers Service and The Careers & Enterprise Company, deliver joined-up campaigns under a single brand, and work with other departments to address workforce issues.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion Accepted
We asked how DfE was ensuring that the incentives for employers to take part in...
Conclusion
We asked how DfE was ensuring that the incentives for employers to take part in training programmes, particularly traineeships and DWP’s Kickstart scheme were working effectively. Kickstart was launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and funded employers to create … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s conclusion and will deliver a simpler further education funding system by consulting on proposals, announcing new flexibility for funding in devolved areas, and setting simpler funding rates. It will also integrate the Traineeship programme into existing provision, simplify the qualifications landscape, improve alignment between the National Careers Service and The Careers & Enterprise Company, deliver joined-up campaigns under a single brand, and work with other departments to address workforce issues.
HM Treasury
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18 Conclusion Accepted
We also asked DfE about the multiplicity of available programmes.
Conclusion
We also asked DfE about the multiplicity of available programmes. It asserted that long lists of programmes could look a little misleading. It explained that the bulk of skills funding went to a relatively small number of interventions, specifically apprenticeships, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s conclusion and will deliver a simpler further education funding system by consulting on proposals, announcing new flexibility for funding in devolved areas, and setting simpler funding rates. It will also integrate the Traineeship programme into existing provision, simplify the qualifications landscape, improve alignment between the National Careers Service and The Careers & Enterprise Company, deliver joined-up campaigns under a single brand, and work with other departments to address workforce issues.
HM Treasury
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26 Conclusion Accepted
In February 2022, DfE announced the creation of a Unit for Future Skills to look...
Conclusion
In February 2022, DfE announced the creation of a Unit for Future Skills to look at data and evidence on where skills gaps exist and in what industries. The Unit will examine the interaction between the jobs and skills markets, … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the Committee’s conclusion and details the growth and planned work of the Unit for Future Skills (UFS), with success measured by access to robust jobs and skills information. Success will be assessed by the UFS Board and Chair, Sir Ian Diamond.
HM Treasury
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