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Reconceptualising the Role of Employers in England's Post-16 Education and Skills System: An Initial Analysis. Policy Brief

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Title: Reconceptualising the Role of Employers in England's Post-16 Education and Skills System: An Initial Analysis. Policy Brief
Language: English
Authors: James Robson, Adam Saunders, Yushan Xie, Helen Tattam, Xin Xu, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE)
Source: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 2026.
Availability: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, UK OX2 6PY. Tel: +44-1865-611030 e-mail: skope@education.ox.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 30
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Postsecondary Education
Adult Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Postsecondary Education, Education Work Relationship, Employers, Employer Attitudes, Job Skills, Skilled Workers, Skill Development, Labor Force Development, Lifelong Learning, Career Planning, Professional Continuing Education, Job Development, Educational Change, Manufacturing Industry, Improvement Programs, Employer Employee Relationship
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (England)
Abstract: England is facing widespread skills gaps, shortages, and mismatches driven by a long-standing disjuncture between employer skill demand and both training provision supply and uptake, which is becoming increasingly acute with rapid technological and industrial change. These challenges emphasise an urgent need to establish a more active and engaged role for employers within England's skills system. This working policy brief sets out a proposal for reconceptualising the role of employers in England's post-16 education and skills system. It is informed by over two decades of research at Oxford University's Centre on Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), and is based on a consultative process, drawing on input and perspectives from a SKOPE Employer Roundtable held on 29 July 2025. The roundtable brought together employer representatives from a wide range of sectors, including the eight growth-driving sectors highlighted in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy (2025), and government officials from the Department for Education (DfE), Skills England, and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), to discuss a renewed vision for employers within the skills system. This was supplemented by thirty-one in-depth interviews with individual employers and industry stakeholders, as well as a subsequent workshop with government officials from DfE, Skills England, DBT, HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This paper proposes two overarching strategic objectives to achieve improved outcomes for securing the skilled workforce needed to compete and grow. It also makes four key recommendations to achieve these strategic objectives, thereby renewing the role of employers and transitioning to an employer-engaged system.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679055
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Reconceptualising the Role of Employers in England's Post-16 Education and Skills System: An Initial Analysis. Policy Brief
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  Data: Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford, UK OX2 6PY. Tel: +44-1865-611030 e-mail: skope@education.ox.ac.uk; Web site: http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/
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  Data: England is facing widespread skills gaps, shortages, and mismatches driven by a long-standing disjuncture between employer skill demand and both training provision supply and uptake, which is becoming increasingly acute with rapid technological and industrial change. These challenges emphasise an urgent need to establish a more active and engaged role for employers within England's skills system. This working policy brief sets out a proposal for reconceptualising the role of employers in England's post-16 education and skills system. It is informed by over two decades of research at Oxford University's Centre on Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), and is based on a consultative process, drawing on input and perspectives from a SKOPE Employer Roundtable held on 29 July 2025. The roundtable brought together employer representatives from a wide range of sectors, including the eight growth-driving sectors highlighted in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy (2025), and government officials from the Department for Education (DfE), Skills England, and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), to discuss a renewed vision for employers within the skills system. This was supplemented by thirty-one in-depth interviews with individual employers and industry stakeholders, as well as a subsequent workshop with government officials from DfE, Skills England, DBT, HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This paper proposes two overarching strategic objectives to achieve improved outcomes for securing the skilled workforce needed to compete and grow. It also makes four key recommendations to achieve these strategic objectives, thereby renewing the role of employers and transitioning to an employer-engaged system.
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Postsecondary Education
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      – SubjectFull: Education Work Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: Employers
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      – SubjectFull: Employer Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Job Skills
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      – SubjectFull: Professional Continuing Education
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      – SubjectFull: Improvement Programs
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      – SubjectFull: Employer Employee Relationship
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (England)
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