Ladder for the Black Country: Progress made on regional skills as Government is urged to ‘stick to the plan’
Business leaders and education providers in the Midlands have urged the new Government to ‘stick to the plan’ when it comes to closing the skills gap.
The plea came at an event celebrating the progress made across the region on Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) which was held at the MIRA Technology Institute situated on the Warwickshire and Leicestershire border.
LSIPs were designed by the previous Government to put employers at the heart of skills provision in their local area, to identify skills gaps and work with partners to devise solutions.
Each LSIP area in the Midlands was given the opportunity to present the progress they had made and what they saw as the next stage of the plan. The event also heard from Dr Mel Collins, head of LSIPs for the Department for Education.
The West Midlands and Warwickshire LSIP has been led by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber; The Marches LSIP by Shropshire Chamber; the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire LSIP by Staffordshire Chamber; the Leicester and Leicestershire LSIP by East Midlands Chamber; Worcestershire LSIP by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber; South-East Midlands LSIP by Northamptonshire Chamber; and the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire LSIP and Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland LSIP have both been led by the FSB.
Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “This has to be long term and we don’t want the rug pulled out from underneath us just as we are getting started so the message from businesses and providers is to stick to the plan on this one – it’s working!”
