Buckinghamshire Business First chosen as the designated Employer Representative Body for skills in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire Business First (BBF) has become the official Employer Representative Body (ERB) for skills in Buckinghamshire, from Monday 5th September 2022, as confirmed by the Secretary of State for Education last week.

Leading employer representative bodies across England are being tasked with writing Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) which detail how provision locally should change to meet labour market needs. 37 business groups from across the UK have been chosen to lead local skills plans to help address local skills shortages.

Buckinghamshire Business First will be responsible for leading on the research, development and production of a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Buckinghamshire by working with employers, stakeholders and training providers to identify the key changes needed to make post-16 technical education and training more closely aligned to employer and local labour market needs. In addition, the Local Skills Improvement Plan will build on the work of the Bucks Skills Hub’s Local Skills Report 2022.

Philippa Batting, Managing Director at Buckinghamshire Business First, said: “We are delighted that Buckinghamshire Business First has been chosen as one of only 37 business groups across England to be awarded this official designation, which will provide a great opportunity for local employers to influence skills training provision in the county.”

Buckinghamshire Business First will work with local businesses, training providers and other stakeholders such as Buckinghamshire Council and the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to further understand the skills needed in Buckinghamshire and to develop solutions that will enable economic growth that will benefit everyone in the county.

Businesses can benefit from engaging with Buckinghamshire Business First in its role as Employer Representative Body by helping to identify current and future skills requirements in the local area and helping to bring about changes which ensure a better match between skills provision and their skills needs.

Employers can also support local employment and upskilling through apprenticeships, providing work placements, and seconding staff to colleges.

Philippa concluded: “Ultimately, the LSIP will be an opportunity for businesses to understand how their future workforce will need to be positioned to ensure their business plans are successful.”