Shropshire Chamber wins new skills improvement contract
A business programme aimed at boosting skills will continue for another three years after Shropshire Chamber of Commerce won the brief.
The business body will continue to deliver the government's Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIPs) which aims to empower local leaders, employers and educational institutions to transform skills training.
The chamber has been involved in the project since its launch in 2022, canvassing the views of more than 1,000 businesses across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire and feeding them into the regional and national picture.
In its progress report published this summer, the team cited the creation of the Marches Education Partnership as "one of the greatest achievements" during the first three years.
Three further education colleges and three private training providers have combined resources and knowledge to boost training provision in two key areas - green construction skills and manufacturing and engineering. This has included the creation of more than 60 new courses and 14 new teaching facilities.
Rosie Beswick is the Local Skills Improvement Plan project manager for the Marches.
She said: "Shropshire Chamber is proud to once again be supporting employers across not only Shropshire but the entire Marches area.
"Getting the right skills for our local employers is critical to ensure a healthy economic future for our region. Capturing the employer's voice locally is vital to ensure this can happen."
Ruth Ross, chief executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "Since we began our work in 2022, this has been an exciting opportunity to bring together employers, training providers and other key stakeholders at a time of great need.
"We know that the inability to recruit the right calibre of skilled staff is still holding some companies back so we must ensure that post-16 technical education and training is as closely aligned as possible to the needs of local employers.
"Our aim is to create an environment for the sharing of best practice to create the best possible outcomes for businesses and workers across all corners of the region."
Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith added: "Local businesses and communities know best what skills they need to succeed.
"New Local Skills Improvement Plans will put employers, educators and authorities at the heart of identifying skills gaps and delivering the training that matters most to their area."
Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Solving the skills crisis afflicting the UK is crucial to growing the economy faster.
"BCC research shows that 75 per cent of employers are struggling to find staff with the skills they need" LSIPs are a key tool in addressing this problem.
"With a strong focus on employer engagement, they can match skills provision to local economic needs in the medium and long term future. In the first few months alone, over 65,500 businesses engaged with Chamber-led LSIPs, many of them getting involved in the skills system for the very first time.
"We are already seeing the positive, practical impact of LSIPs on the ground and it is hugely encouraging that the government has committed to developing them further."
