IFS Fellows Arun Advani and Claire Crawford appointed to Department for Education's skills and productivity board

IFS Research Fellows Arun Advani and Claire Crawford have been appointed to the Department for Education's new skills and productivity board.

Led by chair Stephen van Rooyen, an executive vice president at international broadcaster Sky, the team will aim to provide independent 'expert advice' on how courses and qualifications should align to the skills that employers need post-Covid-19.

The six appointed are:

• Arun Advani – University of Warwick: Assistant Professor, IFS Fellow
• Claire Crawford – University of Birmingham: Reader in Economics and IFS Fellow
• Andrew Dickerson – University of Sheffield: Professor of Economics and Director of Sheffield Methods Institute
• Ewart Keep – Oxford University: Emeritus Professor in Education, Training and Skills, Department of Education Oxford University
• Grace Lordan – London School of Economics: Associate Professor & Founding Director of the Inclusion Initiative
• Sir Christopher Pissarides –London School of Economics: Regius Professor of Economics and Nobel laureate

In a letter to the board's chair, education secretary Gavin Williamson established that the board should prioritise answering the following questions over the next six months: 

• Which areas of the economy face the most significant skills mismatches or present growing areas of skills need?
• Can the board identify the changing skills needs of several priority areas within the economy over the next 5-10 years?
• How can skills and the skills system promote productivity growth in areas of the country that are poorer performing economically?

Williamson said the evidence and analysis the board produces will play a 'significant part in addressing the most pressing gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the labour market, helping to rebuild our economy post-Covid-19 and deliver a bold skills agenda.'