Confirmed: Gillian Keegan leaves apprenticeships and skills minister role in reshuffle

She has been promoted to the Department of Health and Social Care as a minister of state.

She has been promoted to the Department of Health and Social Care as a minister of state.

16 Sep 2021, 18:19

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Apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan has left the role in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle.

The MP for Chichester, who was a parliamentary under secretary in the Department for Education, has been promoted to the Department of Health and Social Care as a minister of state.

The DfE is yet to confirm whether she will be replaced, but several sources have said universities minister is expected to take on the FE and skills brief.

Following her promotion, Keegan tweeted: “It has been an incredible privilege to serve as the apprenticeships and skills minister, working to level up opportunities across the country.

“It has been wonderful to work with so many exceptional teachers, colleges, learning providers, businesses and most of all students.”

Keegan was appointed as apprenticeships and skills minister in February 2020, a month before the first Covid-19 lockdown.

She became well known in the sector and parliament for regularly reminding everyone she was herself a former apprentice.

During her tenure she has helped oversee the launch of the FE white paper and skills bill, the initial rollout of T Levels, and skills bootcamps.

Some policy decisions have proved controversial, including backing plans to scrap funding for the majority of BTECs, adult education funding clawback from colleges that did not spend 90 per cent of their allocation during the pandemic, and shrinking the independent provider market in adult education.

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