Reconceptualising the Role of Employers in England’s Post-16 Education and Skills System

This working policy brief sets out a proposal for reconceptualising the role of employers in England’s post-16 education and skills system. It is informed by over two decades of research at Oxford University’s Centre on Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), and is based on a consultative process, drawing on input and perspectives from a SKOPE Employer Roundtable to discuss a renewed vision for employers within the skills system. This was supplemented by thirty-one in-depth interviews with individual employers and industry stakeholders, as well as a subsequent workshop with government officials from DfE, Skills England, DBT, HM Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).