The Region of Learning and Creativity is West Yorkshire Combined Authority's 10-year strategy to build a region where everyone can develop skills and fulfil their ambitions. It focuses on four priorities: inspiring futures for young people, enabling fulfilling lives, driving employer excellence, and building a system that works for all. The strategy sets out how the Combined Authority and its partners will work together to improve skills, opportunity and productivity across West Yorkshire.
The Mayor has pledged to create a Region of Learning and Creativity in West Yorkshire, with skills and training at the heart of her ambitions for the future.
Learning is essential for personal growth, developing confidence, curiosity and adaptability to a rapidly changing world. Creativity is about being open-minded, expressive, curious and can provide a catalyst for innovation and problem-solving.
We have exciting and ambitious plans to transform our region for the better over the coming years, with billions of pounds of investment that will change the lives of everyone who lives and works in West Yorkshire.
We want West Yorkshire to be the home of the best and brightest, where ambition and aspiration are rewarded. Where good, secure, fair work and the chance to lead a full, healthy and happy life isn't out of anyone's reach.
The best way to make sure everyone has the chance to fulfil their potential is by making sure the education, skills, training and support people need is available for all.
This means a region where people are given the help and support at every stage to find a passion, learn new skills, get a good job, and lead a happy, healthy and fulfilling life, no matter their personal challenges.
It also means employers can find the right people with the right skills, and then recognise, reward and develop their talent - because valuing staff and doing what's right is how businesses grow.
The West Yorkshire Promise will give all young people aged 14-24 the chance to develop essential skills and access personalised careers support to help them move confidently into further learning, training and good work.
In a rapidly changing labour market, it aims to significantly reduce the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training and youth unemployment.
It will improve educational outcomes and help young people better understand the opportunities available to them, giving them increased confidence and aspiration around careers and the skills needed for the current and future economy.
We will create a lifelong system of learning, skills and creativity that supports our residents at every age and every stage of life.
We want to reduce the number of residents with low or no qualifications, increase A level equivalent and beyond, raise employment and the quality of jobs, narrow income and opportunity gaps, and boost business start-ups.
By linking learning to wellbeing, culture and creativity, we will support fuller, more resilient lives and a healthier, happier workforce.
We will support employers to invest in training and skills, adopt fair work practices and build inclusive workplaces, while creating a culture of innovation that boosts business productivity and good growth.
We want to increase the number of businesses providing training and the number of apprenticeship starts across the region, while connecting employers with a diverse, future-ready talent pipeline.
This will create more good jobs, reduce unemployment and the number of hard-to-fill vacancies to support growth in strategic sectors, increased scale-ups and targeted investment in innovation.
The Combined Authority will lead a joined-up system change across education, skills, employment, health and business support, improving coordination, integration and responsiveness through partnerships.
We want to ensure services work better for residents and employers, improve outcomes across the different life stages our residents go through, and provide the foundation needed to deliver sustained, inclusive growth across West Yorkshire.
This will create more stable, efficient and integrated work and health systems with better support at key transition points across individual’s lives and ensure equitable access to public services and employment opportunities. It will strengthen the Further Education sector, reducing the number of hard-to-fill tutor vacancies and provide clearer, more joined-up support to businesses.
