Ministerial role

Minister of State for Skills

Organisations: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and Department for Education

Responsibilities

The minister is responsible for skills. This role is shared between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education (DfE).

Joint BIS and DfE Responsibilities include:

  • further education - staffing, governance and accountability
  • localism in skills
  • pre-employment and basic skills
  • vocational qualifications
  • apprenticeships and traineeships
  • National Colleges
  • careers advice and guidance
  • Skills Funding Agency
  • employer ownership of skills

BIS responsibilities:

  • construction and rail business sectors
  • trade union and employment law
  • consumer and competition policy

DfE responsibilities:

  • raising the participation age (the age of compulsory participation in education or training until at least 18)
  • international education

From July 2014 to May 2015 this role included responsibility for Equalities. Before July 2014 this role was covered by the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise.

Previous holders of this role

  1. Nick Boles

    2014 to 2016