Is your business affected by skills gaps and do you want to do something about it?

Businesses in Buckinghamshire have a unique chance to improve the strength and depth of the local skills and labour markets across key sectors and skillsets, thanks to Buckinghamshire’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), which aims to align local skills needs with local skills training.

In 2022 Buckinghamshire Business First was designated as the Employer Representative Body (ERB) for skills in Buckinghamshire. Selected by the Department for Education, it was chosen to lead the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Buckinghamshire to address the local skills shortages that are felt by employers across the county.

Buckinghamshire Business First and partners will identify the key changes needed to make sure post-16 technical education and training fits in with local employer and labour market needs.

John Browning, Local Skills Improvement Plan Manager, said: “Employer Representative Body status places Buckinghamshire Business First in a unique position to drive lasting, positive change for the betterment of local people, businesses and communities. The LSIP is also an opportunity for businesses to get involved in the process and to understand how their future workforce will need to be positioned to ensure their business plans are successful.”

The LSIP is funded by the Department for Education, and a Local Skills Improvement Fund will be introduced in 2023/24 through which providers can implement the changes suggested by the LSIP.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan is a unique opportunity for employers to: highlight what they see as lacking in the local skills and labour market; engage directly with local training providers to ensure the skills system in Buckinghamshire is relevant to the needs of their industry; focus on upskilling their existing employees; and build work readiness and skills in local communities by providing apprenticeships and work placements.

Improving people’s skills is a vital component of building a productive, flourishing economy. Shortfalls in specific skillsets have been identified that cut across all sectors, and these will be part of the focus for the LSIP activity. These skillsets have been identified by employers as essential for their business to succeed and include digital literacy, work readiness, and green skills to drive to net zero and meet the challenges of the future.

In addition, to maximise the impact and results of the LSIP, priority sectors have been identified – health & social care, digital, construction, engineering, film & TV – based on criteria including employment levels and employment growth.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan will provide a set of priorities and actions that have been identified following an intensive collaboration between employers, skills and education providers, Buckinghamshire Business First, Bucks Skills Hub, Buckinghamshire Council and Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership. The LSIP covers the next three years, and in consultation with employers and providers, will then be evaluated and, if necessary, refreshed to reflect new skills needs.

Buckinghamshire Business First are currently hosting a series of online employer briefing events designed as initial introductions to the LSIP. These initial briefings will be followed by a series of working groups between now and the end of March 2023. For further information and to book your place at an employer briefing webinar, please visit: www.bbf.uk.com/news/is-your-business-affected-by-skills-gaps-want-to-do-something-about-it