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BUSINESS WEST – CONNECTING BUSINESSES BUSINESS SUPPORT Advice and support from Business West


Skills: A challenge for all businesses


A breakdown of the skills challenges affecting businesses in the West of England has been released by Skills West, a Business West and West of England Local Enterprise Partnership initiative. Over 1,600 companies and stakeholders


across the West of England have contributed to the statements, giving a unique and insightful view into current skills issues and priorities for businesses in the region. The statements provide an overview of the


skills and recruitment challenges faced by businesses during 2017/8, as well as possible solutions and partnerships to address them. They also highlight notable achievements and developments in skills as well as celebrate success stories in the West of England. The statements are now available to download on the Business West website, and cover the following sectors: advanced engineering and aerospace, construction, creative and digital, distribution, health and life sciences, high tech, low carbon, professional and financial services, retail, rural and food economy, social enterprise and visitor economy. They further look at the role


of careers education information advice and guidance, and provide an overview of the quality and responsiveness of local education and training, the level of apprenticeship starts, productivity and capacity for growth and diversity in the workforce. The statements aim to help education and


The view from Skills West Skills West programme lead, Nicky Williams, commented: “The Local Sector Skills Statements are a great strategic resource for our education partners and businesses in the region, indeed any organisation involved in planning or development around skills and training. “Our training providers across the region


will use the statements to inform their curriculum planning and decisions on future investment in the skills landscape, and the results from the Business Skills and Training Survey for 2018 will feed into the next set of statements in 2019.”


‘We need


to work together to improve the quality and relevance of


careers advice’


as improving careers information. By providing up-to-date labour market intelligence, they also help businesses to make informed workforce planning and resourcing decisions, identifying key areas for training and continuing professional development investment. Professor Steve West, chair of


the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It’s great that we’ve had such a fantastic response to our call for insights from businesses and stakeholders across the West of England. The statements contain valuable intelligence that can help education and training organisations


training leaders develop training that meets the needs of the West of England economy, as well


20 insight NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018


ensure courses and qualifications meet the needs of our employers. “As a region we need to work together to improve the quality and relevance of careers


Nicky Williams, head of Skills West


advice, and provide clearer routes into sustainable and rewarding careers for our residents. “As well as giving people the skills they need to


progress further in their education and training to secure better career prospects, it will also help lead to improved employment opportunities for our region’s businesses in the future.” Skills West is funded by the European Social


Fund and Education & Skills Funding Agency, and is designed to promote joined-up thinking among key partners to tackle skills gaps. The team will be hosting events across the


region to highlight the key findings from the statements. These presentations will be of particular interest to training providers, careers advisers and anyone working in training. Dates will be published in due course.


You can download the statements here: www.businesswest.co.uk/local-sector-skills- statements


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