OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, BUSINESSLDN HAS WELCOMED MEMBERS, BUSINESSES AND STAKEHOLDERS TO OUR LOCAL SKILLS IMPROVEMENT PLAN (LSIP) LAUNCH EVENTS TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES WITH THE CAPITAL’S LABOUR MARKET AND SKILLS SYSTEM.
91¶¶Òù is proud to be leading the London LSIP, in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses London (FSB), London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and Confederation of British Industry London (CBI), to tackle labour and skills shortages, with the backing of the Mayor of London and London government. The LSIP is a Department for Education-led initiative that brings employers, educators and other key stakeholders together to create a data-led blueprint for transforming the skills system in the capital and ensuring training matches the needs of the economy.
Throughout December, 91¶¶Òù has delivered five events dedicated to the LSIP, including an in-person launch event and four virtual roundtables focussed on sector-specific and cross-cutting priorities for skills in the capital: hospitality; digital and creative; green and construction; and health and social care. We were joined by representatives from businesses of all sizes and sectors, colleges and independent training providers, local government and the third sector.
At our Introduction event on Wednesday 7th, Solving Employers’ Skills Challenges, Mark Hilton, Policy Delivery Director welcomed guests by providing an overview of the LSIP and an update on 91¶¶Òù’s progress with developing the plan. He was followed by Christopher Rocks, Supervisory Economist at the Greater London Authority, who shared data on London’s labour market. This highlighted that skills shortages are biting across several sectors, that economic inacitivity remains high, and that despite some positive progress many Londoners from black and minoritized groups still face significant barriers to employment.
Guests at the launch event then split up into breakout groups to discuss the skills and training in the capital in more detail. Topics included the demand for different skills from employers and the barriers preventing employers from getting what they need; how providers and employers can support more Londoners from black and minoritised communities get access to jobs and training; and how employers and providers can work together to ensure training is delivered more effectively. These discussion were replicated in the virtual roundtables.
High up the list of priorities was the need for more partnership working between employers and providers. Many attendees said that it was crucial to ensure businesses have the quality training they need and providers’ can keep training relevant to industry’s changing fast changing needs. The need to increase the workforce’s transferable skills, such as project management, complex problem solving and negotiation, was also a key focus. Underpinning all of these discussions was a focus on labour market inclusion. Many attendees raising concerns that too many current training models do not give people from disadvantaged backgrounds or with caring responsibilities the time or flexibility to train, build their skills and develop a great career.
91¶¶Òù is very grateful to all businesses, educators and other key stakeholders who attended these events over the last couple of weeks. Their input and insight will be vital for shaping the development of a successful LSIP for the capital.
The second phase of LSIP events will take place in late January and early February. with a series of workshops digesting the feedback from this first round of LSIP events and discussing the recommendations to include in the final LSIP report. We’d be delighted for you to join us at this next phase of events, so please keep an eye out for invites.
For more information on our LSIP programme of work, please contact Edward Richardson, Programme Director for People & Skills.