Skills Funding Agency

Skills Funding Agency

Formation	April 2010
Legal status	Executive Agency
Purpose	Further education in England
Location	Cheylesmore House, Cheylesmore, Coventry, West Midlands
Region served	England
Chief Executive	Peter Lauener
Parent organisation	DfE
Website	Skills Funding Agency

Cheylesmore House, Cheylesmore, Coventry

The Skills Funding Agency is one of two successor organisations that emerged from the closure of the Learning and Skills Council (England's largest non-departmental public body or quango). The restructuring of the English skills system was announced by Gordon Brown shortly after he took office in 2007.

The office of the Chief Executive of Skills Funding was established in law by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. The office is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and employees appointed by the Chief Executive are Crown servants, collectively referred to as the Skills Funding Agency. The Chief Executive is appointed by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. Further legislation was passed in 2012, with the Agency becoming an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Skills Funding Agency funds skills training for further education (FE) in England. It supports over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations, and employers with more than £4 billion of funding each year.

The SFA's mission is to ensure that people and businesses can access the skills training they need to succeed in playing their part in society and in growing England’s economy. This is done in the context of policy set by government and informed by the needs of businesses, communities and regions, and sector and industry bodies.

The SFA employs around 925 staff at its head office in Coventry and in offices around England. It runs the National Apprenticeship Service and the National Careers Service.

In January 2012, Chief Executive Geoff Russell announced his resignation,^[1] and on 30 May 2012, it was announced by Skills Minister, John Hayes that Kim Thorneywork had been appointed as interim Chief Executive.^[2]

In November 2014, Peter Lauener was appointed as Chief Executive.

See also

• Learning and Skills Council
• National Employer Service
• Higher Education Funding Council for England
• Lifelong learning
• Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
• Vocational education

References

External links

• Skills Funding Agency

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Ministers	Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Minister of State for Universities and Science Minister of State for Business and Enterprise Minister of State for Trade and Investment Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
Executive agencies	Companies House HM Land Registry Insolvency Service Intellectual Property Office Met Office National Measurement and Regulation Office Skills Funding Agency UK Space Agency
Non-departmental public bodies	Acas British Hallmarking Council Construction Industry Training Board Council for Science and Technology Higher Education Funding Council for England Innovate UK Low Pay Commission Office for Fair Access UK Atomic Energy Authority UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Research councils	Arts and Humanities Research Council Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Economic and Social Research Council Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Medical Research Council Natural Environment Research Council Science and Technology Facilities Council
Other	British Business Bank Government Office for Science Groceries Code Adjudicator Manufacturing Advisory Service Office of Manpower Economics Ordnance Survey Public Data Group Shareholder Executive Student Loans Company UK Green Investment Bank Wave Hub
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