The latest publication from Skills England, Sector Evidence on the Growth and Skills Offer, reinforces what many in our sector have known for years: the skills system is not working for everyone, particularly for smaller employers, marginalised communities, and those furthest from the labour market.
From construction to health and social care, from digital to green industries, the report highlights critical skills shortages across the UK economy, alongside rigid training routes and barriers to access that prevent many from participating in or delivering training effectively. For community-led organisations like ours, this provides both a challenge and an opportunity.
At Limitless CIC, we exist to remove barriers to education, employment and opportunity for young people and career starters. We champion a more inclusive, responsive approach to skills – one that values lived experience, unlocks potential, and meets people where they are.
That’s why we welcome the direction set out by Skills England and the commitment to better collaboration across the skills system.
As Gemma Marsh, Deputy CEO of Skills England, said:
“We want to build strong partnerships across the skills system that produce new approaches to meeting adult skills needs. We’ll make sure that we understand local barriers to delivery of skills training and can overcome these.
We need committed, passionate and knowledgeable organisations, like HOLEX, to work with us in the coming months to find the right solutions together.”
We stand ready to be one of those organisations.
Our work is already aligned with many of the report’s recommendations:
We are co-creating short-form, modular training in communities that enables young people to build confidence and skills at their own pace.
We work with employers to redirect unused Growth and Skills Levy to support community organisations and smaller employers to upskill their teams through early careers, without the administrative burden.
Through collaboration with schools, youth groups, employers and charities, we co-design pathways that combine employability, life skills, and sector-specific training, giving young people the tools and networks they need to succeed.
We collaborate with mentors and trainers who bring not just professional expertise but real-life insight and experience, helping to make programmes more relevant, relatable and impactful.
We believe the future of adult skills must be:
We look forward to continuing to work with partners – locally and nationally – to help shape a system that truly delivers “better skills for better jobs”, and better futures for all.
