English universities must be involved at all levels of the skills system

Define "skill". I challenge you!

As long as there is an understanding of the nature and role of liberal and professional education, I see no problem with a focus on professional skills. Countries which acknowledge this distinction - e.g. the USA and Australia, run more successful economies than the UK (though not necessarily for that reason).

Well it is very vague, but I guess they don't mean mean 'transferable skills' which is what we used to claim we provided. I imagine they want something a bit more specific. But how does this differ from the employability agenda we have been pursuing with such alacrity over the years?

I wonder about the assumption that we seem to hold on what drives growth: we tend to assume that we start with R&D, move this up the market readiness pathway and start to scale, then scurry to seek the skilled people needed to do this. We currently frame skills and skilled people as a resource, an input. What happens if we reframe skills (including evolving skills and building talent) as a driver of growth i.e. at the start of the cycle, a push factor? If we focused on also evolving skills needed to support and sustain R&D forward momentum (in parallel to doing the R&D itself) i.e. in some sort of (who'd have thunk it) teaching-research nexus?