Future Skills Sussex – the Local Skills Improvement Plan for Sussex
15th September 2023
Author EditorPosted on Categories Business
Ana Christie, CEO of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, writes about the forthcoming launch of Future Skills Sussex.
As you may be aware, the Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making Further Education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.
As part of this approach, Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) were introduced as a key part of the Government’s vision of an adult skills system where businesses are given a much stronger voice in local skills planning by working closely with FE providers, engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders and forging a stronger and more dynamic partnership that will enable provision to be more responsive to the skills needs of employers in local labour markets. The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill provides a statutory underpinning for Local Skills Improvement Plans. It introduces duties on providers to co-operate in the development of and then have regard to the plans.
Sussex Chamber of Commerce is the designated Employer Representative Body (ERB) for the development of the LSIP in Sussex. Over the last 18 months, Sussex Chamber has engaged with the business community in order to ascertain and articulate their skills requirements.
As part of the future LSIP activities work will commence on the skills priorities and solutions identified within the “Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework”, the LSIP’s three-year action plan.
Future Skills Sussex launch event 6th October
To celebrate the approval of the Sussex LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan) report, Sussex Chamber will be hosting a launch event at Bramber House, University of Sussex on Friday 6 October.
The event will provide a chance to celebrate all the collaborative partnership work that’s taken place to develop this Sussex-wide approach to addressing skills gaps and taking forward the skills priorities required by businesses.
There will also be an overview of the LSIP’s action plan – Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework, information on progress so far and the activities Sussex Chamber and partners will be working on over the next year. There will also be an interactive session and networking opportunities.
The Chamber would like to welcome all those employers and partners across Sussex who have been instrumental in helping the development of the LSIP and those new to the LSIP, who would like to find out more about the future work to implement the Future Skills Sussex Improvement Plan supporting employers with their skills needs.
The LSIP will support and benefit businesses across the Sussex area as follows:
• Improve productivity and fill skills gaps with locally grown talent,
• Create international competitiveness,
• Increase economic growth,
• Strengthen links between employers and further education and providers,
• Place employers at the heart of defining local skills needs,
• Improve the skills system will be crucial to building an agile and adaptable workforce,
• Support people to get the skills our economy needs and give them opportunities to progress in their careers,
• Make sure people can access training and learning flexibly throughout their lives,
• Support growth industries.
Please contact skills@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk for further information.