Keir Starmer says skills shake-up will help young people

Sir Keir said England’s current skills system was “in a mess, which is why we are transforming our approach”.

He added a new approach would “help to deliver our number one mission as a government, to kickstart economic growth, by opening up new opportunities for young people”.

The government says it wants Skills England to work more closely with official migration advisers to develop training plans for sectors that are currently reliant on immigrants to fill roles.

Before the election, Labour pledged to make it harder for companies that refused to comply with training plans to hire workers from abroad, although detailed plans have not been published.

Skills England will initially be set up within the education department, with former Co-Operative Group boss Richard Pennycook as interim chair.

Setting up the new body on a permanent basis is expected to take 9-12 months, including passing relevant legislation to create its new powers.

The number of adults in further education courses has declined by around 50% since 2010, according to official figures, with the number of people completing apprenticeships also falling in recent years.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank says the success of the new policy will depend on how well Skills England can identify courses for funding that companies would not have funded themselves anyway.

A Conservative spokesman said Labour’s plans to allow up to 50% of the apprenticeship levy to be rediverted could see apprenticeships halve.

This could lead to “fewer opportunities for the next generation,” he added.