Business leaders and education providers in the Midlands have urged the new Government to ‘stick to the plan’ when it comes to closing the skills gap and helping businesses to develop the labour force they need.

The plea came at an event celebrating the progress made across the region on Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) which was held at the MIRA Technology Institute situated on the Warwickshire and Leicestershire border.

LSIPs were designed by the previous Government to put employers at the heart of skills provision in their local area, to identify skills gaps and work with partners to devise solutions.

In each area of the Midlands, partners have come together – led by an employer representative body – to research needs and then come up with solutions unique to their own local area.

Each LSIP area in the Midlands was given the opportunity to present the progress they had made and what they saw as the next stage of the plan.

The event also heard from Dr Mel Collins, head of LSIPs for the Department for Education, who said the model had been written into statute.

She said: “There was a recognition that there was no clear framework for bringing employers and providers together to plan and collectively deliver provision. Employers had insufficient influence over provision and providers would struggle to meet employer needs.

“LSIPs are here to change that. They have been designed to drive local economic growth and support better learner outcomes by improving the alignment between provision of post-16 technical education and training and local labour market needs.

“Early evidence from recently published progress reports indicate that LSIPs are already having an important impact. Crucially, we are seeing increased employer involvement in the skills system with many employers now becoming involved in designing, developing and delivering new training courses.”

The regional LSIPs have been led and supported by a range of partners.

The West Midlands and Warwickshire LSIP has been led by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber; The Marches LSIP by Shropshire Chamber; the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire LSIP by Staffordshire Chamber; the Leicester and Leicestershire LSIP by East Midlands Chamber; Worcestershire LSIP by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber; South-East Midlands LSIP by Northamptonshire Chamber; and the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire LSIP and Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland LSIP have both been led by the FSB.

The event heard about a wide range of changes and developments that have already been made – from improving softer skills through to enhancing green tech skills for the construction sector.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, facilitated the celebration.

He said: “Skills has been an issue that has been on the agenda for years but this is the first time employers have really been asked what they need and have been brought together with providers – in partnership – to deliver that.

“The crucial letter in LSIP is the L. This is about businesses and providers understanding the local need and adapting to that.

“But, as Dr Mel Collins said, it’s a plan that has to continually evolve as skills needs change and this framework allows for that to happen.

“What is so exciting is the real enthusiasm from businesses and providers – and other partners – in working together in this way and already starting to see it pay off.

“But this has to be long term and we don’t want the rug pulled out from underneath us just as we are getting started so the message from businesses and providers is to stick to the plan on this one – it’s working!”

Tony Knaggs, Public Sector Contracts Manager said “Today’s event was a really strong message about how the Local Skills Improvement Plans are acting as a catalyst for change through stakeholder collaboration.

I think we all recognise that we need to support effective skills delivery and increase productivity for UK, and I believe one of the key methods to do this is by ensuring the skills landscape is understood and fully embraced by businesses.

The event was a great showcase for the Midlands region to highlight what is already being done in this area and I look forward to taking forward conversations with colleagues and Chamber members to continue with this important piece of work”