Skills plans to train local people for local jobs

New plans published today (July 10) will make sure local training equips people with skills needed by local employers.

A total of 39 Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), covering the upcoming three years, have been unveiled across England. They provide detailed insight and analysis into what priority economic sectors and jobs are for each given area.

The plans also explain how designated Employer Representative Bodies and Strategic Authorities, who developed the plans with support from Skills England, will work with education providers and other partners, including Job Centres, to ensure training meets local businesses’ needs and help tackle key issues including youth unemployment.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LSIP reports that the number of advertised posts in the area requesting AI skills has risen by around 66% between 2021 and 2025. Jobs in mechanical engineering, construction trades, and the care sector are among the hardest to recruit for. The report commits to reversing a decline in apprenticeships taken by young people and piloting employer-led models to improve conversion rates from training to employment.

Other innovative new measures set out in LSIPs include a plan in Greater Essex to train 100 NEET mentors to help reduce numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. In Tees Valley they will develop shared work placement programmes with multiple SMEs; while a Construction FE Teacher Industry Exchange Scheme is planned for the East Midlands. Meanwhile, West of England and North Somerset LSIP commits to addressing calls for more clarity around green job opportunities and career pathways.

Phil Smith, Chair of Skills England, said:

“The Local Skills Improvement Plans give areas a clear roadmap that will help create better skills for better jobs all across the country.

These LSIPs, alongside the emerging sector jobs plans and the other stakeholder dialogues we are having, is helping us build a much better picture of the skills needs throughout the nation.

Skills England is excited to play a key role in that journey, so that employers and learners can benefit in local communities."

Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills said:

“For too long too many people have been locked out of opportunity, and businesses have struggled to recruit the skilled staff they need to build their workforce.

“Local leaders have a unique insight into the skills needs and opportunities in their area, which is why we are putting them in the driving seat to support their community.

“Our reforms, including to the Growth and Skills Levy and the Youth Guarantee, will build a workforce prepared for the demands of today as well as the jobs of tomorrow."

Employer Representative Bodies and Strategic Authorities followed statutory guidance published last November by Skills England - which explains how key players will work together to plug local skills gaps - when developing the new LSIPs.

The plans have collaboration hard-wired into them, so actions committed to with universities, colleges and independent training providers are not just aspirational - they are mutually agreed.

LSIPs also recognise that skills devolution cannot work in isolation – as getting local skills provision right is vital for unlocking national growth. They will have an important role to play with delivering the Government’s ambition for two-thirds of young people to participate in higher level learning - either academic, technical, or an apprenticeship - by the time they are aged 25.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, said:

"Our region is leading the way in delivering the industries that will power the UK's future – from clean energy and advanced manufacturing to digital innovation and life sciences, and we must ensure local people have the skills to seize those opportunities.

"This Local Skills Improvement Plan, published by the North East Chamber of Commerce and shaped by employers across Tees Valley, will help keep our education and training system aligned with the needs of a rapidly changing economy and the high-quality jobs being created across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.

"It represents a strong partnership between industry, education providers and the Combined Authority, working together towards a shared goal. By collaborating in this way, we can better equip people with the skills employers need now and in the future. Together, we're building a workforce that will drive growth, investment and prosperity across our region."

Lancashire’s LSIP, developed by the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, has been produced with input from over 500 employers alongside local stakeholders including the Lancashire County Combined Authority, industry trade and employer bodies, local skills providers, FE colleges and universities.

Babs Murphy, Chief Executive of the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said:

“This LSIP works to support employers across all sectors of the Lancashire business community with a focus in industries that will drive growth for the local economy and opportunity for local residents.

“Not only does the LSIP recognise the needs of employers now through the actions it recommends, it also ensures that employers will continue inform changing skills needs over the coming months and years. With the rapid growth in AI and the rapidly changing skills needs that come with it, that employer voice will be essential to make sure the skills provision in Lancashire meets those needs.

“Although the work to produce this plan is done, the hard work starts now, working in close collaboration with local partners to deliver on the recommendations through all levels of the system from essential skills, vocational training and adult skills, right through to higher education. With plenty of ongoing activity in skills and careers, it is vital that employers continue to get involved with the LSIP to ensure there needs are met.”