One minister, two beasts: Can Jacqui Smith fix the skills system?

Jacqui Smith has taken on the unenviable but exciting job of straddling two Whitehall beasts, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Education (DfE). Her mission is to bridge the world of classrooms and workplaces, making sure skills aren’t just taught but used, and revitalising the apprenticeship programme.

We have seen versions of this before. Back in 2016 Nick Boles held a joint brief spanning The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and DfE, trying to knit business needs with education. Smith’s appointment follows in that tradition but takes on an even broader challenge: workforce and education side by side, and the complexity of levy funded apprenticeship programme.

We welcome this move. But ultimately, learners, apprentices and employers want results, not structural tinkering in Whitehall. They want well-funded, flexible courses that lead to decent jobs. If Smith’s role is the start of a more joined-up skills system, backed by a cross-government push, it could be the long-term strategy the UK has been missing.

Still, her brief only runs across DWP and DfE. The real world of skills and retaining doesn’t fit neatly into departmental silos: health, migration, business, housing, defence all depend on a skilled workforce. We would like to see a proper cross-government skills taskforce, chaired by Smith, bringing in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government too. This would:

• Make sure big recruiting departments invest in staff skills through procurement and there are openings for young people to become apprentices.
• Link health and care workforce planning with lifelong learning.
• Align visa and immigration rules with home-grown skills policy.
• Join up local and mayoral skills powers with national ones.
• Give voice to learners and employers who are usually left out.

Such a task force could turn a promising start into a truly integrated skills system, one that ties education, employment, health and economic growth together.

Of course, there are questions. We now know that control over apprenticeships policy will move to DWP, while Skills England will continue to work across government. But will DfE and DWP budgets merge? Will Skills England be split so that the future skills need observatory stays with DFE and the management of apprenticeships more to DWP?

What happens to mayors’ devolved skills powers, bearing in mind they were desperate for apprenticeships?

Will Ofsted’s remit be expanded to cover DWP employability courses? And let’s not forget that the adult skills budget isn’t just about the basic skills entitlements and retraining. It also covers learner support, adult SEND, and family learning and a good quality apprenticeship is as much an education programme as it is a training programme. The German model sits firmly within their education system.

So what are Smith’s chances of success?

The upside:

1. Joined-up thinking – one minister could finally close the gap between what’s taught and what’s needed.
2. Better learner journeys – adults might escape the revolving door of the low-pay–redundancy loop, especially if rules like the DWP 16-hour cap (on permitted work before losing benefits) are rethought.
3. Faster decisions – fewer circular Whitehall debates, more action.
4. A visible figurehead – skills now have a public champion.
5. Room for creativity – her dual brief could spark fresh approaches linking work programmes, digital skills, and local initiatives.

The pitfalls:

1. Overstretch – DWP and DfE are both giants; it’s easy to be pulled in two directions.
2. Employer-focused shift – Moving apprenticeships to DWP could align them more closely with employers and the world of work. But without careful oversight, there’s a risk of prioritising quick job placements over quality training, confusing providers, and leaving apprentices without lasting skills.
3. Unintended disruption – Colleges and providers need stability; even small funding changes could inadvertently destabilise the sector.
4. Missing links – Excluding Health, Home Office, or DBT leaves crucial connections dangling.
5. Civil service turf wars – Budgets and priorities may be fiercely protected, complicating collaboration.
6. Risk of symbolism – Without real control over budgets and levers, the role could risk being more about appearance than impact

Smith’s joint role is a step in the right direction. It is visible, ambitious and potentially game-changing. But to make a real difference, she’ll need clout, cross-government allies and a touch of Whitehall diplomacy.

It is a good start. But let’s go further, faster. And if anyone can do it, Jacqui Smith can.