A NEW plan to help tackle labour and skills shortages in the West Midlands and Warwickshire has been approved by the government – with more than £10million of funding now available.
The West Midlands and Warwickshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (WMW LSIP) has been developed by the Coventry and Warwickshire, Greater Birmingham and Black Country Chambers of Commerce.
The plan has been devised after six months of research and consultation, with the chambers engaging with more than 1,000 employers as well as skills and training organisations.
The funds have been released by the Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan MP through the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF).
A partnership led by Solihull College is now bidding for the cash to address the issues set out in the WMW LSIP.
The plan’s first priority is to target sectors crucial to growth in the region, including engineering and manufacturing, construction, ICT and digital and logistics and distribution.
It will then promote training and education available to businesses in the sector, as well as invest in new facilities and courses.
The plan will also provide flexible leadership and management training.
In addition it will respond to employer requests for greater knowledge of digital skills among workers with a new short course programme and mentoring and coaching.
Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce chief executive Corin Crane said: “We can now set to work in helping to tackle the skills shortage in the region.
“Over the past few months, we’ve spoken to and engaged with just about every organisation with an interest in this topic as well as more than 1,000 businesses.
“Whilst doing this we have ensured we have spoken to those companies who wouldn’t normally engage in this kind of process to make sure we got a fully rounded picture of what is missing.
“The plan sets out how we can tackle some of those issues.
“In some cases, it will require investment in new facilities or new courses to provide the right level of post-16 skills training.
“However, in others, it will be making sure businesses and individuals are aware of what support and provision is already available to them.”
