Midlands businesses encouraged to air views on skills shortages at event

The progress made in tackling labour and skills shortages in the Midlands will be outlined at an event in the region in September.

Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) have been designed to put employers at the heart of skills provision in their local area, to identify skills gaps and work with partners to devise solutions.

Each area of the Midlands created its own LSIP and was awarded Local Skills Improvement Funding (LSIF) to deliver against that.

Across the region, a huge amount of work has already taken place to identify the needs of each area and to start to put plans in place to address those.

The West Midlands and Warwickshire LSIP has been led by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber; The Marches LSIP by Shropshire Chamber; the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire LSIP by Staffordshire Chamber; the Leicester and Leicestershire LSIP by East Midlands Chamber; Worcestershire LSIP by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber; South-East Midlands LSIP by Northamptonshire Chamber; and the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire LSIP and Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland LSIP have both been led by the FSB.

Now, each of those regions will come together at an event at MIRA Technology Institute (MTI), which is on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border, to celebrate their achievements so far, to look ahead to the next phase of delivering against the plan and to talk to businesses about their ongoing needs.

Businesses are being encouraged to attend the event, on Friday, 6 September, which will hear from a range of speakers including Dr Mel Collins from the Department for Education as well as staging panel sessions to provoke wider discussion.

It will look at the priorities for each different part of the Midlands, look at how employers are being engaged and how learning and training providers are being collaborated with.

There will also be an opportunity for each area to talk about a ‘star’ project that is dealing with a priority focus.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are delighted to be able to bring the whole of the Midlands together to celebrate how far we have come in this process but also recognise that there is still a lot more work to be done.

“The skills shortage has been an issue that has been building over many years and it has been many businesses’ number one priority for successive Governments to address.

“The LSIP gave us an opportunity to take control of the issue in our own region and to really start to tackle some of those historic challenges but, also, address head on how we deliver the skills needed for the future.

“We look forward to the event and the report to reflect on what has been achieved and to look ahead to the next phase and how this work can really start to deliver for businesses. It’s crucial that as many businesses as possible attend because they are at the heart of this radical new way of doing things when it comes to skills.”

Rachel Laver, chief executive of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce – which leads on the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire LSIP, said: “Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce is delighted to be supporting the Midlands LSIP Celebration event.

“LSIPs across the region, including Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, are making fantastic positive impacts, working with partners to help businesses in overcoming the short and long-term skills challenges and this event is a fantastic opportunity for employers to find out more and how they can get involved and make a difference.”

Ruth Ross, Project Director of the Marches LSIP & CEO of Shropshire Chamber, said: “The Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) have been warmly welcomed by employers as it gives them the opportunity to explain the issues they face with skills, training, and recruitment, as well as help shape the future of training and their own staff pipelines.

“This Midlands wide celebratory event will enhance the project further as employers from across the region learn about the wider LSIP outcomes and discuss next steps, sharing their views and collaborating to again enhance the value of the already successful LSIP England wide projects. The depth of employer engagement achieved is testament to the relationship we have with businesses and the value employers put on the LSIP projects.”

There are still spaces for businesses to book to attend (all learning provider spaces have been taken).

For more information or to book on go to: eventbrite.co.uk/e/midlands-lsip-celebration-tickets-981659178027?aff=oddtdtcreator

By Adam Dale - Contributor