Re-appointment of Sir Michael Barber as adviser on skills policy delivery
Sir Michael Barber has been reappointed as adviser on skills policy delivery to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Education.
The government recognises that skills are crucial in driving long-term economic growth and is taking forward major reforms set out in the Skills for Jobs White Paper: delivering T Levels, boosting apprenticeships, approving Higher Technical Qualifications, rolling out skills bootcamps, and introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement from 2025.
To help maximise the impact of these commitments, Sir Michael Barber was first appointed to advise the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Education on the implementation of current reforms in November 2022 for a term of six months.
Given the continued importance of the skills agenda and the need to maximise its impact, the Chancellor and Secretary of State have decided to extend Sir Michael’s role for a second term until December 16 2023, to build on the work to date.
Sir Michael Barber will not be renumerated for this position.
Further information
Sir Michael Barber is a global expert on implementation of large-scale system change, education systems and education reform.
He has served in a number of roles within Government, including as Chief Advisor to the Secretary of State for Education on Schools Standards (1997-2001), Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (2001-2005), Chair of the Office for Students (2018-2021) and led a review of Number 10 Delivery Unit in 2021.
Outside of Government, he has been a partner at McKinsey and head of their Global Education Practice, and Chief Education Advisor at Pearson. He is also founder and chairman of Delivery Associates, a global advisory firm focussed on working with governments and other social impact organisations.