Transparency data

Summary of the board meeting held on 10 June 2026

Updated 23 September 2026

Applies to England

1. Protective marking

Official

2. Attendees and presenters

Board members present

• Phil Smith CBE (Chair)
• Dr Fiona Aldridge
• Dr Fazal Dad CBE
• Sian Elliott
• Nicki Hay MBE
• Brian Holliday
• Anthony Impey MBE
• Dame Fiona Kendrick
• Zoe Lewis CBE
• Sara Todd
• Andy Westwood
• Tessa Griffiths CBE (CEO)
• Sarah Maclean CBE (CEO)
• Gemma Marsh (Deputy CEO)

Skills England officials present

• Lucy Rigler, Deputy Director, Governance, Performance & Strategy
• Simon Love, Board Secretary
• Governance Manager
• Nahid Mortuza, Head of Sector Route Group (item 5 only)

Other stakeholders present

• Anna West, Deputy Director, DWP Policy Group, Skills Strategy and Sponsorship

Apologies

• Sir David Bell
• Helen Woodward Davies

3. Item 1: Welcome, introductions and declarations of conflict of interest

Lead: Phil Smith, Skills England Chair

1. Phil Smith welcomed board members and participating officials to the board meeting being held at BPP’s offices.
2. Apologies were accepted from Sir David Bell and Helen Woodward-Davies. The Chair confirmed that Sir David was stepping down from the board due to wider work and personal commitments. The Chair, on behalf of the board, thanked Sir David for his contribution and efforts in Skills England’s first 12 months.
3. The Chair asked board members whether they had any new declarations of conflicts of interest to make. Andy Westwood asked for it to be noted that he had joined the group working on the Milburn review. All board members recognised that should a potential or actual conflict arise (outlined in the declaration of interests) then it must be raised at the outset of the relevant meeting.

4. Item 2: Minutes and actions from the last meeting

Lead: Phil Smith, Skills England Chair

1. Board members approved the minutes from the meeting held on 18 March 2026, without amendment.
2. The Chair summarised the list of actions, agreeing to close actions relating to the Investment and Infrastructure Service, insight sharing, the Expert Network and board sub-group updates.

5. Item 3: 2026/27 priorities

Leads: CEOs Sarah Maclean and Tessa Griffiths

1. Sarah and Tessa set out the context for the item, citing the 5 system-wide challenges identified in Skills England’s recent Annual Skills Report (ASR) and how they feed into Skills England’s priorities for 2026/27.
2. To support the discussion, the board received updates from each of the Chairs of the sub-groups. Sara Todd, Chair of the Place sub-group, highlighted the positive engagement facilitated by the Skills England Regions team, which is now underway with strategic authorities and has been well received. She also noted that other government departments are increasingly using Skills England as a channel to engage strategic authorities on co-design and joint delivery.
3. Andy Westwood, as co-chair of the Analysis sub-group, provided an update on the group’s recent activity. Andy highlighted the Skills England outputs the group had considered. This included the Standard Skills Classification which was designed to create a common language for skills for all users to be able to understand and, secondly, the skills need analysis which was produced to sit alongside the ASR. Finally, the sub-group has also considered areas of research interest, noting that there had been significant activity in this space.
4. Having considered the ASR content and the sub-group updates, the board agreed that the right system-wide challenges had been identified and were keen to ensure these could be linked back to Skills England’s Strategic Objectives as set out to 2029. Board members reflected on the proposed priorities and discussed the focus areas as set out by officials. They were keen to support officials in setting clear ambitions, acknowledging Skills England also needed to prioritise its activities within existing resources. Board members were also keen to engage other stakeholders and establish how Skills England could work most effectively in partnership with them to achieve common goals.
5. Board members asked that employer engagement be explicit and include a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Board members requested that officials provide further detail on how Skills England intended to communicate its work externally. Sarah Maclean highlighted that Skills England would be able to work with DWP’s Communications team and suggested a communications colleague attend a future board meeting. Board members asked for further detail regarding how Skills England was staffed and structured to support the priorities. The CEOs offered to provide an update at a future board meeting. Officials confirmed they would provide an updated version of the areas for focus to board members for agreement.

6. Item 4: CEO report

Leads: CEOs Sarah Maclean and Tessa Griffiths

1. Sarah Maclean highlighted key activity Skills England had undertaken, including publication of the Annual Skills Report aligned to its first anniversary. Sarah provided the board with additional examples of Skills England demonstrating impact in the skills arena. Board members appreciated the update, particularly around the Investment and Infrastructure Skills Service, and offered their support where barriers to progress existed.
2. Sarah highlighted the proposal regarding establishing Skills England’s audit arrangements and explained how this had come about. Board members agreed with the proposal as drafted.
3. Tessa Griffiths updated on progress regarding foundation apprenticeships and offered board members the opportunity to hear directly from DWP colleagues. Board members welcomed the opportunity.
4. As part of the discussion, the Chair provided an update on the Labour Market Engagement Group and the Migration Advisory Committee.

7. Item 5: Expert Network update

Leads: Gemma Marsh, Deputy CEO and Nahid Mortuza, Head of Sector Route Group

1. Gemma and Nahid presented an overview of the work completed to date ahead of the formal launch of the Expert Network later in the summer as part of Skills England’s approach to stakeholder engagement. The network will serve multiple purposes aligning to Skills England’s functions and obligations, with employers firmly embedded in the approach. Gemma and Nahid confirmed the network currently had 2,000 members and next steps were to undertake a mapping exercise and gap analysis ahead of recruiting interested parties to join the network to ensure sufficient coverage.
2. Gemma highlighted how the network had already been engaged to support the ongoing apprenticeship reform work. Those stakeholders who Skills England had engaged with had provided very positive feedback on their experience.
3. The board were positive about the approach and, to support sustainability of the network, encouraged officials to be transparent on the selection process and criteria. The board also recommended that Skills England provide periodic messaging explaining the difference the network had made, possibly using a ‘you said, we did’ format.
4. The Chair thanked Gemma and Nahid for their work and time.

8. Item 6: Skills England’s people

Leads: Gemma Marsh, Deputy CEO and Sian Elliott, Board member

1. Gemma set out the item explaining that Skills England’s staff had been through quite considerable change over recent times. As a result, the most recent People Survey identified some areas where results fell below the Civil Service average. The same survey highlighted very positive scores in the ‘my team’ and ‘my manager’ categories.
2. Sian highlighted the work she had undertaken speaking with Skills England staff, and praised the senior team and Skills England staff for their transparency and honesty.
3. Board members sought and received confirmation that staff had been involved in the development of the priorities and the delivery plan. They supported all staff having the opportunity for regular engagement with managers and senior leaders, and received confirmation that staff were provided with regular feedback on their performance. Finally, board members recommended staff receive updates where staff suggestions had been implemented and the change this had produced.
4. In closing the item, the Chair thanked Sian for her support in this area.

9. Item 7: Any other business (AOB)

1. There was no further AOB. The Chair confirmed the next meeting would be held on 16 September at Blackburn College.