New Greater Manchester Skills Plan launched to train people for work

A new skills plan published by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce will ensure training equips people with the skills needed by local employers.

The Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) was produced in collaboration with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and other stakeholders in the city region. 

Greater Manchester has one of the fastest growing economies in the UK, but its Local Skills Improvement Plan highlights digital skills shortages and warns almost half of employers in the area are struggling to fill vacancies. The plan commits to embedding digital skills across provision and inspiring young people to train for priority careers through hundreds of employer visits to schools, colleges and HE providers.

A total of 39 LSIPs, covering the upcoming three years, have been unveiled across England. They provide detailed insight and analysis into what the priority economic sectors and jobs are for each local area.

The plans also explain how designated Employer Representative Bodies, such as the Chamber, who developed the plans with support from Skills England, will work with Strategic Authorities like GMCA, education providers and other partners, including Job Centres, to ensure training meets the needs of local businesses and help tackle key issues including youth unemployment.

Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara, Director of Business Policy and Research at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said:

“The Greater Manchester LSIP is the product of extensive employer engagement, drawing on the views of over 1,000 businesses through surveys, interviews and roundtables held in every borough across Greater Manchester. It reflects a genuine partnership between Greater Manchester Chamber and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, bringing together the voice of business with the strategic ambitions set out in the Greater Manchester Strategy, Get Greater Manchester Working Plan and Local Growth Plan.

“The publication of the LSIP is not the end point. We will now work hand in hand with GMCA, education providers, employers and other stakeholders to begin implementing the LSIP priorities, so that provision on the ground, employer engagement and careers advice all start to reflect what local businesses have told us they need.”

Nicola McLeod, Director of Education, Work and Skills at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, said:

“A strong economy depends on having the right skills in the right places at the right time. This report provides a detailed picture of the skills challenges and opportunities facing our city region, identifying the sector and place-based priorities that will be critical to continued growth. It should now act as a shared framework for system partners across Greater Manchester, helping us align our priorities, respond to emerging challenges and turn evidence into action.

“By continuing to work together and act on a shared understanding of local skills needs, we can build on the progress already made, helping more residents access good jobs while ensuring businesses have the skilled workforce they need to grow.”

Mark Currie, Chair of Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network (GMLPN), added:

“We’re delighted to see the final Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan launched, marking an important milestone for skills across our city-region. Throughout its development, GMLPN has worked closely with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce to help ensure the voices of our diverse membership – including independent training providers, further education colleges, universities, community learning providers and awarding organisations – have been heard and reflected within the plan.

“As we move now into the delivery phase, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with partners across Greater Manchester to turn the ambitions of the LSIP into meaningful action. The real measure of success will be the positive impact it has on learners, employers and communities, helping to build a responsive, inclusive and future-focused skills system for our city-region.”

Employer Representative Bodies and Strategic Authorities followed statutory guidance published last November by Skills England – which explains how key players should work together to plug local skills gaps – when developing the new LSIPs.

The plans have collaboration hard-wired into them, so actions committed to with universities, colleges and independent training providers are not just aspirational – they are mutually agreed.

LSIPs also recognise that skills devolution cannot work in isolation – as getting local skills provision right is vital for unlocking national growth. They will have an important role to play with delivering the Government’s ambition for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher level learning – either academic, technical, or an apprenticeship – by the time they are aged 25.