Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to reinstate the Business Engagement Forum to help ensure collaboration between officials in her Department and industry leaders.

With the creation of Skills England, the department has developed a wider range of employer engagement routes.

In October 2024, following the publication of the first Skills England report, a series of round tables were conducted, engaging over 100 stakeholders. This tested the initial analysis but also drew out what stakeholders felt Skills England should prioritise and where it could have most impact.

In November 2024, the department conducted a comprehensive engagement programme, reaching 743 people across a variety of sectors and activities.

The engagement was designed to support advice on the future of the Growth and Skills Levy offer, and the skills element of Industrial Strategy Sector Plans.

The aim was to collect evidence on skills needs, flexibilities in the levy system and gather sector-specific views to inform the second Skills England report.