The Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has now become part of the shadow body for Skills England. The purpose of the UFS was to provide key insights and data on current and future skills needs, as well as assessments on how current provision is meeting labour demand.

As well as producing and updating its online dashboards, the UFS has focused on a broad range of other activity. For example, the UFS provided robust data and insight on local skills use and provision, allowing current and future skills mismatches to be identified at an individual and local level. The UFS has:

• Ensured that Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are based on solid evidence of local skills mismatches and future needs and are aligned with the government’s economic priorities.
• Published a Local Skills Dashboard, showing statistics on local employment and skills including at local authority level, LSIP area and mayoral combined authority (MCA). This reached over 14,000 users since its launch in August 2022, averaging 400 to 600 users per month.
• Trialled the use of AI techniques to extract insights from across the 38 LSIP reports, with 75% of the reports referencing the UFS and the department's data.

The UFS worked across government and with wider organisations to improve the foundation of data and the evidence base for decision-makers. Key achievements included:

• Publishing detailed job projections up to 2035 for the UK, nations, and sub-nationally, including areas for LSIPs, Local Enterprise Partnerships and MCAs. This information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/labour-market-and-skills-projections-2020-to-2035.
• Partnering with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on their development of online job adverts by profession and local area. This data is available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourdemandvolumesbyprofessionandlocalauthorityuk. The department will continue to co-fund this work for the next two years.
• Supporting key sectors to consider future skills needs, including publishing a dashboard on Science and Technology skills supply in May 2024 and developing the evidence base underpinning the Green Jobs Delivery Group’s workforce action plan.

The UFS has also delivered Phase 1 of the UK Standard Skills Classification, which is a common skills framework that will allow a better understanding of skills supply and career pathways.

The total cost recorded on the finance system for the 2022/23 financial year was £1.86 million.

The main cost within the UFS was its staff. In the 2022/23 financial year, there were about 20 staff members, the majority being analysts. The team also commissioned external work by researchers and data experts to support the aims of the unit.

The Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has now become part of the shadow body for Skills England. The purpose of the UFS was to provide key insights and data on current and future skills needs, as well as assessments on how current provision is meeting labour demand.

As well as producing and updating its online dashboards, the UFS has focused on a broad range of other activity. For example, the UFS provided robust data and insight on local skills use and provision, allowing current and future skills mismatches to be identified at an individual and local level. The UFS has:

• Ensured that Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are based on solid evidence of local skills mismatches and future needs and are aligned with the government’s economic priorities.
• Published a Local Skills Dashboard, showing statistics on local employment and skills including at local authority level, LSIP area and mayoral combined authority (MCA). This reached over 14,000 users since its launch in August 2022, averaging 400 to 600 users per month.
• Trialled the use of AI techniques to extract insights from across the 38 LSIP reports, with 75% of the reports referencing the UFS and the department's data.

The UFS worked across government and with wider organisations to improve the foundation of data and the evidence base for decision-makers. Key achievements included:

• Publishing detailed job projections up to 2035 for the UK, nations, and sub-nationally, including areas for LSIPs, Local Enterprise Partnerships and MCAs. This information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/labour-market-and-skills-projections-2020-to-2035.
• Partnering with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on their development of online job adverts by profession and local area. This data is available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourdemandvolumesbyprofessionandlocalauthorityuk. The department will continue to co-fund this work for the next two years.
• Supporting key sectors to consider future skills needs, including publishing a dashboard on Science and Technology skills supply in May 2024 and developing the evidence base underpinning the Green Jobs Delivery Group’s workforce action plan.

The UFS has also delivered Phase 1 of the UK Standard Skills Classification, which is a common skills framework that will allow a better understanding of skills supply and career pathways.

The total cost recorded on the finance system for the 2022/23 financial year was £1.86 million.

The main cost within the UFS was its staff. In the 2022/23 financial year, there were about 20 staff members, the majority being analysts. The team also commissioned external work by researchers and data experts to support the aims of the unit.

The Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has now become part of the shadow body for Skills England. The purpose of the UFS was to provide key insights and data on current and future skills needs, as well as assessments on how current provision is meeting labour demand.

As well as producing and updating its online dashboards, the UFS has focused on a broad range of other activity. For example, the UFS provided robust data and insight on local skills use and provision, allowing current and future skills mismatches to be identified at an individual and local level. The UFS has:

• Ensured that Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are based on solid evidence of local skills mismatches and future needs and are aligned with the government’s economic priorities.
• Published a Local Skills Dashboard, showing statistics on local employment and skills including at local authority level, LSIP area and mayoral combined authority (MCA). This reached over 14,000 users since its launch in August 2022, averaging 400 to 600 users per month.
• Trialled the use of AI techniques to extract insights from across the 38 LSIP reports, with 75% of the reports referencing the UFS and the department's data.

The UFS worked across government and with wider organisations to improve the foundation of data and the evidence base for decision-makers. Key achievements included:

• Publishing detailed job projections up to 2035 for the UK, nations, and sub-nationally, including areas for LSIPs, Local Enterprise Partnerships and MCAs. This information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/labour-market-and-skills-projections-2020-to-2035.
• Partnering with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on their development of online job adverts by profession and local area. This data is available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourdemandvolumesbyprofessionandlocalauthorityuk. The department will continue to co-fund this work for the next two years.
• Supporting key sectors to consider future skills needs, including publishing a dashboard on Science and Technology skills supply in May 2024 and developing the evidence base underpinning the Green Jobs Delivery Group’s workforce action plan.

The UFS has also delivered Phase 1 of the UK Standard Skills Classification, which is a common skills framework that will allow a better understanding of skills supply and career pathways.

The total cost recorded on the finance system for the 2022/23 financial year was £1.86 million.

The main cost within the UFS was its staff. In the 2022/23 financial year, there were about 20 staff members, the majority being analysts. The team also commissioned external work by researchers and data experts to support the aims of the unit.

Since its launch in May 2022, the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has proactively set out to be outward facing and has met and worked with a wide variety of stakeholders across the skills system. As well as working across government departments to bring together data and evidence, the team have liaised with research and academic organisations, businesses and employer groups, training providers and local government.

The UFS External Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Ian Diamond, National Statistician, meets every quarter to provide challenge and external views to the UFS’s work, as well as expert support and guidance. The group has nine members including representatives from the West Midland Combined Authority, Unifrog, LinkedIn, Universities UK, the Association of Colleges, British Chamber of Commerce, the British Academy and two expert academics. The UFS also runs quarterly meetings with members of the devolved administrations who are working on similar skills and data issues.

The UFS regularly discusses its findings at the Department of Education’s Business meeting, involving MakeUK, the Federation of Small Businesses, British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute for Directors.

The UFS engages with target users on the development of its products. For example, the team set up working groups with Employer Representative Bodies to support in the development of the local skills dashboard.

The team also regularly meets with a variety of stakeholders on a one-to-one basis, as well as through events and conferences, including businesses and employer representative bodies, academics and research organisations, training providers and local and regional skills bodies.

The total cost for the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) from May 2022 to August 2023 is £2,569,794. The main UFS costs are its staff. There are around 20 people in the team, the majority analysts. The team also commissions external work by researchers and data experts to support the aims of the unit.

There have been no ministerial level meetings to date, but the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has met Defra officials at a working level. The UFS also recently joined Government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group and will look to support this group to access data and insights on skills needs across green sectors.