CSCS Response to the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper

Following the Department for Education and Skills England’s publication of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, CSCS welcomes the vision to create a joined-up, data-driven skills system that works for learners, employers and the economy.

CSCS particularly welcomes the White Paper’s focus on digital innovation and the exploration of Skills Passports to record and verify individuals’ competencies across employers and sectors. This is an area where the construction industry is already leading the way.

Through our My CSCS app (the CSCS Digital Skills Passport), CSCS has developed a live, functioning model that securely links verified training, qualifications and competence data to the individual worker, alongside a physical card. The system is designed for portability across employers and sites, supports lifelong learning and progression, and has the potential to connect with wider labour market and education data.

Given construction’s designation as a priority sector in the White Paper, we believe there is a significant opportunity for CSCS and the Department to work together to pilot a national model for skills recognition and transferability.

The My CSCS platform is mature, trusted by industry, and could serve as a trailblazer for other sectors, with over one million construction workers having existing access to the Skills passport, and the potential for a further 1.3 million CSCS Alliance card holders, would extend the reach to around 80% of the UK construction workforce, providing a developed operating model that could be used as a proof of concept for how digital credentials can underpin the government’s ambitions for mobility, transparency, and productivity across the workforce for other sectors.

CSCS Ltd is a not-for-profit organisation owned by the construction industry, supporting the industry in its development of skills and competence.