Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps Skills England is taking to align localised technical skills training provision with regional manufacturing demand.

Skills England is supporting the alignment of technical skills provision with regional manufacturing demand in a number of ways. Skills England oversees the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), developed and published by designated Employer Representative Bodies in July 2026. These identify key priority skills needs within an area and the changes to technical education and training provision required to meet employer and labour market needs. The plans draw on employer intelligence and reflect national growth priorities identified in the Industrial Strategy, including skills requirements in manufacturing where these are relevant to the local and regional economy.

To support this process, Skills England has provided analysis of skills needs, including trends in skills supply and demand, priority occupations, vacancy data and projected workforce requirements. Skills England is continuing to work closely with Employer Representative Bodies and Strategic Authorities to ensure this evidence informs local priorities and supports providers to respond to the needs of key sectors, including manufacturing where this is important to local economies.