While Theresa May’s hand may have been substantially weakened by the Tories’ flop at the ballot box, the Queen’s Speech suggests that the importance of technical education will grow during the current Parliament - however long it lasts.

The legacy of outgoing skills minister Robert Halfon resides in the passage of the Technical and Further Education Act through Parliament before the election - all the more significant given the likely difficulties the new government will face in passing new legislation.

The Conservative manifesto reiterated the party’s focus on the reform of technical education. In contrast to the grammar schools controversy, this is a safe haven: a genuinely important - and politically uncontentious - theme which the public can relate to.

The Department for Education must now focus on getting the policy right on the ground. The recent apprenticeship funding calamities serve as a reminder of what happens when implementation is inadequately thought through. The study by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research suggests apprenticeship starts will actually drop, at least in the short term.

The potential for apprenticeships and technical education is immense. If the next skills minister fails to make this count, it’s unlikely this opportunity will come again.

To have your say on the future of the sector, take part in the FE and Skills Survey 2017 (bit.ly/TesFEsurvey), which closes on 30 June.

@stephenexley