Partner Article

Skills plan to create jobs for Leeds

It’s anticipated over half a million new jobs could be created across Leeds in the next ten years and to ensure people benefit from the opportunities, the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has announced its ‘Skills Plan’.

The plan, which will run from 2013-2015, will deliver one of the LEP’s main aims of creating a skilled and flexible workforce to support improved productivity and jobs growth.

The priorities within the plan have been endorsed by the Government’s Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock MP, as well as the Leeds City Region LEP, Employment and Skills Panel and Skills Network.

The Skills Plan has been developed following extensive consultation with key stakeholders -including over 1,600 employers, all local authorities and skills providers- and will support future growth in key sectors by focusing on the three major challenges of building skills in education, transition into work and raising demand and improving skills.

Roger Marsh, Chair of the Leeds City Region LEP, said: “We must emphasise the role of businesses in setting the pace. Companies need to invest in future skills, offer work placements and real work exposure to young people to inspire and engage them in developing future technologies, products and services. Achieving the highest possible levels of education and skills linked to our economic strengths will ensure we are one of the leading city regions in the country.”

The Skills Plan has the backing of the area’s 14 FE Colleges, nine HE Institutions and a range of other training providers in the region and local authorities, supported by their local employment and skills boards, will also play a key role in co-coordinating the plans in specific areas across the city.

Over the coming three years, the LEP’s Employment and Skills Panel will work closely with Government and the Skills Network to align skills funding with the priorities in the plan.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison .