20 priorities needed to deliver 'workforce fit for the future', claim Chamber of Commerce

An alliance of two Chambers of Commerce have revealed 20 priorities to deliver a workforce 'fit for the future'.

It follows a series of forums with employers, education and training providers, alongside one-to-one meetings and an online survey, with the aim of finding out what employers needed to access a skilled labour market.

It's all part of the Government-based Devon and Somerset Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), which hoped to make sure future school-leavers and graduates are equipped with the skills they need.

Working with Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, the research, launched by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, culminated in the publication of a detailed LSIP plan for skills and training, with 20 priority areas for action.

Recommendations put forward in the report, in a bid to align future education provision with the needs of business, include:

• More mentoring in the workplace
• Access to training funding for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
• More employer involvement in skills bootcamps
• Meaningful two-way communication between business and education providers
• Improving digital skills in education
• Recognising that using digital technology is an essential requirement for everyone at work

"It's about addressing the barriers"

Somerset Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Emma Rawlings, said: “The Devon and Somerset Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is a starting point to finally crack our skills provision struggles.

“Over the past months, we have spoken with employers representing a wide spectrum of sectors.

“Despite the variety of business types, they are almost all universally challenged by barriers which prevent them from accessing the right kind of skills training for their needs.

“Our LSIP is not just a survey to produce yet another report. It is about addressing the barriers to skills and challenges that hold our region back and putting the foundations in place to fill them.”

The landscape in Somerset

In Somerset, 75% of businesses who responded to the survey said that specialist and technical skills were currently lacking in the workforce, whilst leadership, sales and development - and project management skills - were also rated as important.

Among prospective employees, it was also found that key skills like time-keeping, interview techniques and CV writing were also lacking.

According to the report, 67% said employability skills would remain a much-needed skill, alongside digital and IT (65%) and specific technical skills and knowledge (64%).

Traditional construction trades and leadership, management and business skills were also highlighted as core skills.

However, half of Somerset respondents said there was currently a lack of suitable training courses to meet their needs, a third said training provision was too generalised, while transport difficulties, the cost of training and lack of funding, also posed problems.

The full plan, along with detailed feedback and case studies, can be accessed here.

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