Minister of State (Minister for Skills) and Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern

Biography

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.

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

The minister’s responsibilities include:

lead policy responsibility for gender equality and women’s rights
sponsorship of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Social Mobility Commission (SMC)
UK equality framework (including the Equality Act)
equality data and analysis

The minister also has lead responsibility in the House of Lords on the following policy areas: