National provider network, AELP has published a paper called Employers in the driving seat? New thinking for FE leadership to stimulate thinking about the extent to which employers influence skills development in England today. It asks what balance is between the state, providers, and employers and goes on to acknowledge two additional major influences on the sector – today’s advanced technologies and individual leaders’ beliefs and processes. This paper support a series of roundtable research discussions with senior leaders from across the FE and skills sector.