Sector Focus
region’s key industries and help tackle some of the biggest skills gaps we face here. Up against fierce national
competition the funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England will allow us to create new degree apprenticeships which give students the chance to earn while they learn. The courses will be specifically
Tackling the skills gap: Medical students learn their trade
In the West Midlands Combined
Authority area we have proposed the establishment of the ‘Skills Engine’ which seeks to address this by bringing together universities and colleges, the Chambers of Commerce, local employers (both large and small) and civic development agencies to provide best-in-class learning resources, personalised development pathways and talent brokering services to create the highly skilled workforce of the future. Devolution must be about real
partnerships, bringing together all the assets of a locality, to play to strengths and generate
improvements for all. Universities are core assets within their environs and working together, both universities and other local anchor partners can be stronger. Employers across the combined
authority area commonly report difficulties in recruiting individuals with the skills and aptitudes that they need, indicating a mismatch between skills supply and employer demand. Through Skills Engine, employers will be directly involved in identifying and quality assuring skills pathways and qualifications to ensure that they have genuine labour market value and credibility.
This is the kind of local
knowledge which devolution must seek to exploit in order to ensure that our workers are given the skills they need for successful careers, our businesses have the talent and workforce needed to genuinely succeed, and our economy really does become and engine for growth. This why the Government’s drive
for apprentices will form a key component of Skills Engine. Just recently Birmingham City
University (BCU) was awarded new Government funding to train nearly 300 apprentices in some of the
chosen and tailored to target skills shortages identified by West Midlands’ organisations spanning advanced manufacturing, engineering, the public sector and health. This presents a fantastic
opportunity to focus our efforts on the needs of the region’s businesses and make sure our workforce is equipped with the skills and training it needs to truly thrive and make the most of the opportunities presented by devolution. Devolution has arrived and a
number of big ticket infrastructure projects are likely to grab the headlines. But it is just as important that
the businesses, universities and local authorities, who are best placed to know the needs of their communities, seize this opportunity to work together and make sure the skills and needs of the West Midlands’ employers and economy are met.
December 2016/January 2017 CHAMBERLINK 57
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