In May 2023, the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for the West Midlands and Warwickshire region was approved by the Secretary of State for Education, setting in motion a series of reforms to the local skills system.
Developed by the designated employer representative body (ERB) in close collaboration with further education providers and other regional stakeholders, the LSIP sets out key priorities and a clear three-year roadmap for improving the provision of essential skills in the workforce.
By putting employers at the heart of the skills agenda, the LSIP aims to align training and skills initiatives available across the region with the current and future needs of employers, equipping local businesses with the skills needed to grow, innovate and thrive.
Below, we take a closer look at the LSIP for the West Midlands and Warwickshire, breaking down the priority areas for tackling skills shortages in the workforce and explaining how the plan will be brough to life.
What are the LSIP’s priority areas?
During the development of the LSIP, hundreds of businesses were consulted to identify the priority skills needed to drive growth and innovation in the regional economy. Drawing on this information, the LSIP focuses on the three following areas:
- Digital skills
- Green skills
- Leadership and management
Digital skills
Digital skills encompass a range of abilities associated with the use of digital technologies. They range from basic IT skills to more complex technical capabilities linked to transformative fields like artificial intelligence and big data analytics.
The West Midlands and Warwickshire region has been found to lag far behind the rest of the UK in digital skills, despite the fact that it has one of the country’s fastest-growing technology sectors.
As such, digital skills have been identified as a priority area for boosting productivity and growth across all sectors of the regional economy, helping businesses make the most of the opportunities presented by digital technologies.
Green skills
Green skills refer to the knowledge and abilities needed for jobs that directly contribute to or indirectly support the UK’s net-zero targets and other environmental goals.
Employer consultation found that many local businesses are currently in the process of reducing their environmental impact, however a lack of green skills in the workforce has so far slowed this progress.
By focusing on these skills, the LSIP aims to open up opportunities in emerging fields like hydrogen power, electric vehicles, smart buildings and battery technology while also accelerating net-zero transition.
Leadership and management
Along with green skills and digital skills, employers expressed a need for leadership and management capabilities directly in relation to net-zero transition and the use of new digital technologies.
With this in mind, the LSIP includes a supplementary focus on leadership and people management as they pertain to digitisation and energy transition, ensuring businesses not only have the technical knowledge but also the right behaviours to take advantage of these opportunities.
How will the LSIP be delivered?
The LSIP calls on local businesses, training providers and other key stakeholders to come together to help reshape the regional skills system, encouraging collaboration across industries so that skills provision can be more closely aligned with the real needs of employers.
Work is underway to gather sector-specific feedback on the challenges faced by employers in the development of essential workplace skills, with the priority areas for improving provision being:
- Engineering and manufacturing
- Construction
- Logistics and distribution
- Digital and ICT
- Health and social care
- Creative industries
- Professional services
This feedback will be used to improve the content and delivery of training and skills initiatives so that they meet local business needs more effectively, helping employers overcome the challenges associated with skills shortages.
Employer feedback will be sought continuously throughout the delivery of the LSIP, with the goal to create a more agile and responsive skills system capable of pivoting to changes in local business needs.
Our role in supporting the LSIP
One of the main obstacles identified by the LSIP in the development of the essential skills needed to drive regional economic growth was a lack of awareness from employers surrounding the support available from further education providers.
At Skills West Midlands and Warwickshire, our aim is to simplify access to training and skills initiatives by providing a platform for local businesses to search for and browse the different programmes available throughout the region.
Through our directory of certified training providers, businesses can filter programmes based on industry, location and qualification level. For each provider, there are reviews and case studies, enabling businesses to make informed training decisions.
With a business account, employers can register their skill needs and communicate with training providers directly through our platform, facilitating closer working relationships and collaborative engagement between local enterprise and the further education system.
By bringing businesses and training providers together, we are working to improve both the quality and accessibility of training initiatives across the region, supporting businesses with the skills needed to spark growth and innovation.
Are you an employer looking to accelerate your skills journey? Register for updates to be the first to know when our skills directory launches.
