Skills lie at the heart of an inclusive economy. They provide the vital link to connect all residents, at all stages of their career, to new opportunities. West Yorkshire will be a region of learning and creativity, where innovative businesses and curious and entrepreneurial people thrive, where everyone can access quality support and training to prepare for and make progress in their careers.
Opening-up opportunity areas and achieving growth only happen with skilled people. Transformational investments in Mass Transit, rail infrastructure and retrofitting present significant opportunities to accelerate regional growth, but they need the right skills base.
Relationships with key partners and providers are being enhanced. The Combined Authority is taking a refreshed, system-wide approach to bring the fragmented skills and employment system closer together for the benefit of residents. This includes strengthening relationships with employers through business support across all parts of the ecosystem, with a simpler, more flexible offer.
Investment in skills and training is crucial to increasing productivity, both for employers and within the wider economy. Forty-six percent of employers believe they need to invest more in training, but employer investment in skills continues to fall annually.
Low employer investment in skills has its roots in different factors:
Restoring employer confidence in skills investment means simplifying the skills system to ensure it is easily navigable. The Combined Authority wants employers to see the fruits of their own investment. It aims to champion employers whose investments help further regional growth ambitions.
Recent Government policy announcements give further opportunity to promote skills investment. The Combined Authority is committed to working with Government to ensure Skills England meets the needs of West Yorkshire’s employers in simplifying the skills system and funding rules. It is also committed to ensuring the new Growth and Skills Levy provides appropriate flexibility for employer investment in skills and training to boost productivity, while also providing opportunities for upskilling lower-skilled employees.
Acute skills shortages threaten regional growth ambitions. Bottlenecks in the skills base and labour supply mean businesses often do not have access to the higher-level talent required to boost productivity.
Creating diverse pipelines of talent in the region and growing the labour pool means further growth opportunities for businesses and greater opportunities for meaningful employment and prosperity for residents.
The Combined Authority will work with employers to support a healthy workforce and address recruitment challenges. It will equip employers with the tools they need to ensure that those who are out of work, but who want to work, can get into and stay in work.
This will be delivered by:
