THE HOUSE of Lords have praised Coventry and Warwickshire’s efforts to bridge business and education.
The West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), developed by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Black Country Chamber of Commerce, has been hailed as a significant step towards addressing skill gaps in the region.
The LSIP engaged over 1,000 employers alongside educational and training organisations, including Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) institutions, and private providers.
The plan identifies shortfalls in training provision and a widespread lack of awareness among people and employers about available training resources, offering strategic recommendations to tackle these challenges.
Funding was secured for the LSIP, with Coventry and Warwickshire receiving £10.4million to implement the plan through a collaborative effort between businesses and HE institutions.
During a House of Lords debate on the importance of skills for the UK economy, baroness Martha Lane Fox, president of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “In Coventry and Warwickshire, the Chamber has been working with more than 3,500 different employers, and 74 per cent of them say that they have never sat down with any Higher Education providers in the last five years.”
Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce said: “There is a real appetite to work towards a solution to an issue that has dogged businesses and the whole economy for many years.
“It’s only through collaboration and flexing to what employers and the economy needs that we will truly be able to provide the skills needed both now and in the future.”
