Ministerial role
Minister of State (Minister for Skills)
Organisations:
Department for Education
Current role holder:
The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern
Responsibilities
The minister’s responsibilities include:
- Skills England
- technical qualifications, including T Levels
- higher technical education (levels 4 and 5)
- adult education, including basic skills and combined authority devolution
- careers advice and support for young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) (including the Careers and Enterprise Company)
- apprenticeships, including the growth and skills levy
- Technical Excellence Colleges
- local skills improvement plans
- governance, intervention and accountability of further education colleges
- funding for education and training, provision and outcomes for 16- to 19-year-olds
- further education funding, financial stability and workforce
- access to higher education, participation and lifelong learning
- quality of higher education and the student experience (including the Office for Students)
- student finance (including the Student Loans Company)
- international education
Current role holder
The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern
The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern was appointed Minister of State (Minister for Skills) in the Department for Education on 6 July 2024.
Since 4 March 2025 Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern serves as a Minister for Women and Equalities.
She previously served as a Government spokesperson for Equalities between 8 October 2024 and 4 March 2025.