24 Jul 2024The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned the government that the new skills co-ordination body in England must 'keep small firms' needs and strengths in mind'. The new body, Skills England, will seek to form a new partnership with employers in England and bring together businesses, providers, unions, Mayoral Combined Authorities and national government to ensure England has the highly trained workforce it requires. Skills England will support economic growth by utilising greater coherence in the assessment of skills needs and the training landscape and ensuring training programmes are well designed and delivered to meet these needs. Commenting on the new body, the FSB said: 'We also look forward to hearing more from the government about how Skills England and local growth plans will build on Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), some of which the FSB has been leading on writing, for the Department for Education. 'The skills system needs to be adaptable and nimble as there's great potential for improvements to growth and productivity if the entire workforce can be equipped with the right skills. Skills England must keep small businesses' needs and particular strengths central to its way of thinking and must commit to making the skills system as straightforward as possible for them to navigate.'