POLITICS
Confusion regarding the Apprenticeship Levy has resulted in fewer apprenticeships being started
‘Nearly seven-out-of-ten firms have vacancies they want to fill but an equal percentage of those firms struggled to find applicants who possess the skills or experience needed’
ways of working together to deliver the skills required for economic growth across the region. A clear message from the summit was that it
is clear there is a strong will to ensure that young people get access to opportunities to develop the employability skills demanded by business, for them to make informed careers choices and to make a successful transition to employment. When looking to developing the skills of those
leaving education it was made clear that a different range of skills are required today from even five years ago and, with this in mind, it was deemed important that the education sector is truly aligned to industry - especially in respect of digital skills. It was also clearly felt that employers must be
“If we are to survive their combined effect we
must have the strongest possible workforce, we must lead on manufacturing, innovation and in specialist fields such as advanced technologies. “That means we need to find a quick way of
encouraging more firms to take on apprentices, we need to encourage companies to upskill existing staff and we need to close the perennial problem of the skills gap between what business needs and academia provides – and we need to do it now. “We also need to make sure, and to persuade
Government accordingly, that we must have access to the widest possible pool of skilled workers in a post-Brexit economy.
“If we fail, we might as well hang ‘closed’
signs on our borders, and none of us wants that.” Finding ways to bridge the skills gap formed a
key part of a major employability and skills summit staged by the Chamber and partners last month. The Summit explored how regional prosperity depends on having sufficient skilled staff and why there is a continued shortfall of available skilled labour in this region. It also explored how the East Midlands can address this challenge to ensure there is a bright future for the local economy and the region’s young people. Education providers, businesses and policy makers united at the summit to discuss practical
able to access skilled labour and training which is truly employer-led to enable them to be competitive regionally, nationally and internationally. Keynote speakers at the summit, held at
Loughborough University, included Jonathan Mitchell - Deputy Director, Standards Development, Institute for Apprenticeships, Mike Grogan - Head of East and East Midlands Region, Vodafone, David Hughes - Chair of East Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and Clare Hutchinson - Area Manager North, Careers and Enterprise Company. The summit was supported by the Institute of
Apprenticeships, the Department for Education, the Careers and Enterprise Company, Vodafone and Chamber Strategic Partner Loughborough University.
business network July/August 2018
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