Case Study: Events, Engagement & Facilitation

Sussex Chamber – Local Skills Improvement Plan

Context

The Skills for Jobs White Paper published in January 2021 set out the Government’s ambitions for reform of the technical skills system. These include a stronger role for employers (and for employer representative bodies such as Chambers of Commerce) in working with colleges, independent training providers and universities to ensure that technical education meets and drives demand for skills.

Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), have been envisaged as employer-led, evidence-based assessments of skills needs to which providers will be able to respond.

The Sussex Chamber of Commerce is one of just eight LSIPs trailblazers across England, and is producing a plan through consultation, data analysis and building on what is already working.

Challenge

The Sussex region has already got pockets and projects of brilliant business/education partnership – which it is why it has been appointed a trailblazer – but it isn’t as joined-up as it could be.

Building on over six years of deep-dive work on the Sussex skills story, the always possible team has now been supporting Sussex Chamber to listen to technical educators, employers and business groups, to interrogate these local needs and solutions. We have been ensuring that local businesses have a voice in the process , with support to engage with a more responsive local skills system – presented by the Chamber in a bold plan, submitted to government this March.

The LSIP trailblazers’ overall purpose is to break down barriers between employers and education and skills providers by identifying the short, medium and long terms skills needs and in turn develop a more responsive local skills system.

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