One year on from the publication of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Leicester & Leicestershire, East Midlands Chamber has launched its progress report outlining the measures taken to date.
The original LSIP was launched in summer 2023 with the aim of making Leicester & Leicestershire the best place in the country for developing people with the skills needed for businesses to thrive, the economy to grow and individuals to succeed.
Recommendations were made against three broad priorities:
- Partnering with Further Education Colleges and others on the continued development of an education and skills offering that responds to the needs of business
- Growing businesses’ understanding of local skills offerings and delivery
- Ensuring local structures are fit for purpose to support collaborative working across businesses and educators
Achievements over the past year include:
- Securing over £3m of Government funding for colleges to develop new programmes in the areas of green leadership
- Decarbonising transportation programmes with courses on electric/EV vehicles
- Rollout of a new local skills bootcamps programme aligned to specific priorities around green and digital upskilling, including a course on Generative AI
- Development of a new business ‘scorecard’ capturing business views on skills needs and provision
The project, which has been delivered with funding from the Department of Education, has also been successful in coordinating efforts across the public and private sector, working with colleges, universities, local authorities and bodies such as the Careers & Enterprise Company and Job Centres in the area.
Local Skills Improvement Plan Lead Chris Hobson said: “It’s great to be able to look back at the positive steps taken since the original skills plan for Leicester & Leicestershire was launched last summer. The success of activity to date is testament to the efforts of all of partners involved and the willingness and flexibility each has shown to align their own work to the priorities of the skills plan.
“The report also shows those areas where further work is required. There’s no quick fix or silver bullet when it comes to supporting people in Leicester and Leicestershire to develop the skills needed by local business. We live in a dynamic economy and people have competing pressures and demands on what they do. It requires consistent hard work, collaboration and backing from Government to help us on this journey.
“Today’s report shows that we’re on the right track, but with more to be done. The city and county are great places to live and work – if we can collectively get this right, then businesses, communities and individuals will all win.”
Minister for Skills Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern said: “I welcome the publication of the Local Skills Improvement Plan Progress Report for Leicester & Leicestershire. These reports set out progress made on meeting the skills needs of local employers.
“As well as being a valuable source of information for local skills deliverers, employers and stakeholders, the reports along with the LSIPs themselves, will provide important intelligence for the newly established Skills England.”
