Across the skills system, there’s an incredible wealth of employer insight and experience.
Through my time at Skills England, I’ve seen first-hand the value of drawing on this expertise and how it supports better decisions and outcomes.
From engaging in place, where employers are based, to gathering insights and valuable feedback about assessment reforms and skills gaps, their guidance is vital to our work.
We’re building on that through our ‘Expert Network’. An important goal with this is to reduce the time burden for employers, speeding things up while keeping quality and enhanced employer expertise at the centre of our decision-making process.
The Expert Network represents a natural progression of how we already operate and will build on a huge amount of good work that has already been done.
It will allow us to capitalise on employer expertise in a more focused way, which works better for them, while adding value from training providers and other key stakeholders.
Building on employer and sector expertiseAn important goal of ours is to reduce the time burden for employers contributing to our work. We want to speed things up while keeping quality and employer expertise at the heart of our decision-making process.
To form our Expert Network, existing stakeholders will become part of a wider community of thousands of experts, including employers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), providers, trade unions, regional partners, Strategic Authorities and regulators. This means the knowledge we already rely on will now be complemented by an even richer, more diverse pool of insight.
How the Expert Network will workThrough our stakeholder engagement, we have heard from employers and sector partners that they want to stay involved – but they would like to do this in a way that feels proportionate, without the burden of long meetings, fixed cycles or heavy admin.
Skills England will convene time-limited groups from the Expert Network to carry out specific tasks:
Occupational Groups will develop or update occupational standards and assessment plans Insight Groups will provide insight on sector, regional or cross‑sector issues and shape our wider decision-making. Occupational GroupsWe will set clear criteria for selecting Occupational Groups from across the Expert Network, ensuring that these have a defined purpose from the outset and that expertise is targeted to where it’s needed most.
Skills England will take on the administrative burden and typically produce first drafts of occupational standards and assessment plans. Where a full group isn't needed, we'll keep things light, using quick conversations, short surveys or emails instead.
The whole approach is faster and more flexible, so members’ expertise can land where it matters, when it is needed – ensuring quality and rigour is not lost.
Insight GroupsThe challenges facing the skills system rarely fit neatly into a single occupation or sector. That is why we’re convening Insight Groups.
These groups will bring together a range of employers, providers and other experts to advise on the wider issues affecting Skills England’s work, from cross-sector pressures to regional and national skills needs.
Whether reviewing our data and analysis or working together to develop solutions, Insight Groups will inform our strategic direction. As with Occupational Groups, involvement will be focused and proportionate and we will keep in touch with members through regular webinars, newsletters and surveys.
Helping SMEs engage with the skills systemFor the Expert Network to succeed, we need expertise from employers of all sizes. That includes SMEs, who make up about two thirds of private sector employment in the UK, and have skills needs and challenges that can be very different from those of larger employers.
Many SMEs have told us that while they want to share their views on apprenticeships and skills, previous processes have often felt too complex and time-consuming to make involvement possible or worthwhile.
The Expert Network is designed with these concerns in mind. This will allow SMEs, including smaller employers with less HR and administrative capacity, to share their knowledge in a convenient focused way that suits them.
Looking forwardThe Expert Network represents a natural progression of how we already collaborate across the skills system and will build on a huge amount of good work that has already been done.
Almost 2,000 organisations have already joined – but it’s vital we keep growing this number. We want to bring together voices from every part of the system, including those that haven’t always felt able to get involved.
Ultimately, this community of experts will add value to our collective work to close critical skills gaps, help businesses grow, and support future generations to succeed in rewarding careers.
Together, we will make a real difference.
If you’re interested in finding out more, please email us at expertnetwork.skillsengland@dwp.gov.uk.
And if you're already part of the network, thank you. Your continued input remains essential.
Nikki Christie
Skills England deputy director for creative, digital, finance and business
seen at 14:30, 26 May in Skills England.