Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards
Awards will focus on closing the skills gap and creating opportunity for all
T e Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards (MKBAA) 2025 were launched last month under the timely theme of ‘Bridging the Gap: Skills & Learning for Our Future Workforce’. Underscoring the urgent need to address the persistent skills gap
aff ecting local businesses, the announcement was made against the backdrop of Milton Keynes College – proud host of the MKBAA 2025 launch event and offi cially named as a new headline sponsor. T e organisers of MKBAA are also delighted to announce that
T e Open University, Milton Keynes City Council and Brioche Pasquier will all return as headline sponsors in 2025. Milton Keynes, a burgeoning hub for technology, finance,
logistics and professional services, faces a pressing skills shortage despite its dynamic growth – a fact refl ected in last year’s SEMLEP Business Survey which reported that 45% of businesses in the local area fi nd recruiting people with the right skills diffi cult. It’s a gap mirrored nationally with 24% of vacancies in England resulting from skill shortages.
As the skills defi cit is put on a national platform, through the
Government’s pledge to establish Skills England, ensuring the country has a highly trained workforce, MKBAA 2025 will energise the debate on bridging the skills gap within the local region, ensuring Milton Keynes retains its position as one of the UK’s most productive and innovative cities. T e theme also aligns with the City Council’s MK City Plan 2025,
which emphasises strengthening Milton Keynes’ regional and national economic role by improving access to education, skills and training, particularly within the city’s technology and digital industries, which account for one in every three jobs. Nicholas Mann, Chair of Milton Keynes Business Leaders
Partnership (MKBLP), the organisers of MKBAA, said: “Milton Keynes is a thriving hub of innovation and growth, but our success hinges on having a skilled workforce that can meet the demands of our dynamic economy. T e 2025 MKBAA theme highlights the urgency of this challenge and the need for strategic partnerships between businesses and educational institutions. Businesses must play their part in fi nding a resolution to this challenge.” Despite Milton Keynes benefi tting from T e Open University,
MK College, MK:U, and the South Central Institute of Technology, the challenge has been largely attributed to the absence of an undergraduate university and a shortage of universal educational opportunities. A concerted eff ort from the business community is essential to ensure Milton Keynes remains an attractive destination for highly skilled jobs.
Previous winners and some of the MKBAA 2025 sponsors at the launch event
ALL THINGS BUSINESS | 20
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