Two business groups in the North East have been chosen to deliver Local Skills Improvement Plans for the region.
The new plans are a Government initiative that aim to put employers at the centre of the skills system and help local areas develop the skills that companies most need. The scheme was trialled in areas including the North East, with a ‘trailblazer’ project taking part in the Tees Valley earlier this year.
A total of 40 schemes have been announced around the country by the Department for Education, with the North East England Chamber of Commerce selected to run the plans in the North of Tyne and the Tees Valley. The North East Automotive Alliance will run the scheme in the North East Combined Authority area covering Sunderland, Gateshead, South Tyneside and County Durham.
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Chamber chief executive John McCabe said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the exciting opportunity to lead these projects which will really place employers at the heart of the skills system.
“LSIPs will do this by helping businesses express their short and long-term skills needs, as well as working closely with colleges and training providers to develop a rounded picture of need. Working with further education providers, LSIPs will ensure we have the right skills in place at the right time to meet our employers needs now and in the future.
“We’ll also be working closely with our Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities to fully understanding employment and skills trends and opportunities.”
Each employer representative body that has been selected to run each scheme has to produce its plan by next May, outlining how local provision needs to change to help people develop the skills they need to get good jobs and improve their prospects. There will be two annual ‘review and refresh’ processes over the following two years in a bid to ensure the plans remain relevant.
Improving skills for new and existing workers has been a top priority for many businesses for a number of years, but the issue has become even more pressing in recent months as labour shortages hold back many companies.
Mr McCabe added: “The Chamber will be working with a wide range of employers in a number of key sectors to create LSIPs which deliver positive outcomes for the North East economy and its communities.”
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