Questions from the Department for Education:
Skills for opportunity and growth: Future skills needs
• How can we create a culture of lifelong learning? What would an optimally designed lifelong learning entitlement look like to enable adults to drop in and out of ongoing training without compromising their financial stability? What incentives might change the national culture (for employers and employees) about lifelong learning?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Collaborations
What are the barriers and challenges within the labour market that prevent adults from disadvantaged backgrounds having good outcomes, even if they have the same attainment outcomes (e.g. networks, local labour market factors, social capital etc)? How does this vary for different groups (e.g. adult offenders)? What are the most cost-effective ways to address them?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Collaborations
How do we best create collaborations with industry to increase training opportunities, to ensure learners are as prepared as possible for work, and to reduce barriers to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in areas of high need and priority (e.g. Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths - STEM)?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Pathways
What works to get disadvantaged students onto the pathways that are proven to lead to upwards mobility and to stay on those pathways (including helping those who are not in education, employment, or training - NEET) and raising ambition where needed? At what age are interventions most effective?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Decisions
• What is the impact of funding and understanding of student finance on decisions to study, course type and mode of study (both for UK and foreign students? How are the debt, cost and value of student finance understood and experienced, by different social groups?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Decisions
How can careers advice have maximum impact in signposting people from disadvantaged backgrounds into further and higher education (including apprenticeships and T levels) and more rewarding careers? What is the optimum mode of delivery of information, advice, and guidance for disadvantaged groups and at what age should this start?
Department for Education, 2025
Skills for opportunity and growth: Decisions
• How are different careers portrayed to children? What careers advice is available, who engages with it, and what difference does the best possible careers advice make to the career paths they choose? How does this vary for different groups (such as by age and background)?
Department for Education, 2025