News / Business West
Business West chosen to address skills shortage in West of England
One of the largest Chambers of Commerce in the UK has been chosen to run the local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) in the West of England.
Business West, based in Bristol, hopes to bring together employers, education and training providers and other local stakeholders, to create a strategy to ensure post-16 technical education and training successfully prepares employees for work.
The news comes after both the Office for National Statistics and Business West revealed major discrepancies in recruitment and job vacancies in the UK this year.
The ONS announced last month that the number of job vacancies in the UK have reached record levels, whilst the overall unemployment rate has also increased.
Meanwhile, Business West’s recent Quarterly Economic Survey found that just under half of businesses tried to recruit staff in the second quarter of this year, despite a nationwide backdrop of wide vacancies, suggesting businesses have given up efforts to secure new staff, for fear they may not be able to fill them.
Matt Tudge, head of skills planning at Business West said: “With firms facing unprecedented challenges as the energy price crisis worsens and inflation increases, firms need to be assured that labour and skills shortages will be addressed to help them weather the storm.”
Laying out Business West’s plan, Tudge said: “We will bring together local businesses, training providers and stakeholders to really understand the skills needed in the area and to enable economic growth that will benefit everyone in the region.”
Business West hopes the LSIP will help businesses understand and shape how their future workforce will need to look to ensure business plans are delivered in the right way and to create a more modern, digital and sustainable workforce.
The West of England Institute of Technology (WEIoT), has also been working on the LSIP pilot. The new training institute, based on Colston Avenue in Bristol, works in partnership with leading providers to deliver technical education. The company’s director, Claire Arbery, said the pilot has been a “real catalyst for change” and has driven the “employer voice further into discussions around skills and technical learning and the future workforce skills needs.”
Main photo: The West of England Institute of Technology
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