Better skills will help boost Wolverhampton's £4.5bn economy

Professor Tony Travers, a leading academic at the London School of Economics, is chairman of Wolverhampton's Skills & Employment Commission, given the job of finding out what the city needs to do to get more people into work.

He said early talks with companies and the city council had already identified the need for improving the level of skills among people in Wolverhampton through easier access to training and education.

Prof Travers said: "We are talking about the effect that could have on the ability of people who live in the city to drive up its overall economic output. Wolverhampton has a £4.5 billion economy, but pushing it up towards the national average would make that 15 per cent or 20 per cent higher; that is the prize."

But careers advice and people's ability to move from school to further education and work were issues that needed to be addressed, he said, as well as childcare and access to public transport.

The commission's full report is due in the late spring or early summer. Prof Travers was outlining its early findings at a breakfast meeting yesterday with Wolverhampton's City Board, which brings together business, the local authority and the voluntary sector.

The meeting was one of the first of more than 40 events as part of Wolverhampton's Working Well Week, bringing together organisations across the city to help local people find the right job, get the right training and improve their health.

The day also saw a group of young people given an insight into working in the public sector in the first of a series of career 'taster' tours.

It included a question and answer session with councillors and a tour to Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton Civic Halls and a meeting with planners at the regeneration site in Heath Town.

The taster event was organised by Talent Match Black Country, a voluntary programme supporting young people with employment, education, training and volunteering.

Ian Darch, chairman of Wolverhampton Inclusion Board and chief executive of Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council, said: "Working Well Week is an excellent opportunity for local residents looking for work or to develop their skills to visit one of the events and to get the support and help to do so."

"At the same time, there is an opportunity for local people to improve their health and wellbeing by getting expert advice on a range of health issues and even have a health check."

The full programme of Working Well Week events and activities is available to download at www.bitly.com/workingwellweek. People can also find out more from www.facebook.com/wolverhamptontoday or via Twitter using the hashtag #wolvesin2work.