Chamber to help businesses through development of groundbreaking new Local Skills Plan

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has been appointed by the Department for Education to lead the development of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for Greater Manchester.

As the designated Employer Representative Body (ERB), the Chamber will work alongside the business community, training providers and a range of key stakeholders to produce a plan that sets out the current and future skills needs for Greater Manchester, and the changes required to help individuals develop their skills, improve their prospects, and provide businesses with the workforce they need to succeed and prosper.

The LSIP will be developed from September 2022 until May 2023, then submitted to the Secretary of State for Education for approval and publication. On approval, the plan will be put into practice until a further review in 2025.

Chris Fletcher, the Chamber’s Policy Director and who will be the project lead, said: “This is a hugely important step forward for all businesses in Greater Manchester as the aim of the LSIP is to put employers at the heart of the skills system creating links with providers to make sure that provision responds to and meets need and demand.

“In order to produce the plan, we will be encouraging all businesses – large and small and not just our members – to talk to us about their skills needs, about why they can’t recruit and about what needs to happen for them to find the people they need to take their businesses forward. Our position as the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, representing over 4,000 businesses, means that we already have strong links with our members and the business community to enable that to happen but we will have to do much more.”

The project is based on the collection and rapid analysis of data, intelligence and evidence at the local level to provide a very detailed picture of the fast moving GM labour market and ensure that skills provision matches demand at both the local and GM level. The Chamber’s Head of Research Subrahmaniam Krishnan-Harihara will be the lead on this key element of the project.

As well as working alongside the business community of Greater Manchester, the Chamber will also help to forge better links between employers and further education providers.

Chris continued: “Our aim is to be the conduit between the business community and training providers, reinforcing relationships where they exist already, or creating new lines of communication where necessary so that the provision of skills is responsive to the needs of employers. The data and analysis that sit behind this will ensure that employers and providers have the right up to date analysis and evidence to make sure plans are accurate.”

The Chamber is no stranger to delivering skills-based projects. Its Construction Pipeline Analysis heralded a new way of understanding the construction industry’s future workload and the direct impact on the availability of future skills for the sector. The Chamber is also currently a sub-contractor delivering the GMCA’s Skills for Growth programme, part of a £42m ESF funded 3-year programme to upskill and reskill employed people across Greater Manchester.

Press contact:

Simon Cronin, Communications Manager, simon.cronin@gmchamber.co.uk

Notes to editors:

About Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce:

• Greater Manchester Chamber is the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK.

• We provide first-class business support through a range of tailored services and networking opportunities and use our influence with local and central government to lobby on behalf of our members as the voice of the Greater Manchester business community.

• The Chamber is an independent, not-for-profit private company, working to create a better business environment for its members.

• The Chamber covers Manchester, Salford, Wigan, Bolton, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Trafford, Tameside and Stockport

• We are an accredited member of the British Chambers of Commerce – one of only 53 chambers across the UK.

• Greater Manchester Chamber was founded in 2004, but traces its roots back to 1794.

About the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP):

• The Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making FE provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.

• The aim of the LSIPs is to give employers a stronger voice in shaping local skills provision working closely with FE providers and engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders.

• Led by designated ERBs, LSIPs will set out a clear articulation of employers’ skills needs and the priority changes required in a local area to help ensure post-16 technical education and skills provision is more responsive and flexible in meeting local labour market skills needs.

• LSIPs have already been piloted in eight Trailblazer areas as part of the Skills Accelerator programme.


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About Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK, providing business support to approximately 4,500 members who collectively employ 446,000 people, around one-third of Greater Manchester’s workforce. Recognised as a leader in its field, Greater Manchester Chamber’s reputation in government circles has grown locally and nationally. At the heart of the area of greatest economic intensity outside London and the South East, the Chamber is the primary body for business support, policy, representation and networking. The Chamber is an independent, not-for-profit private company and its aim is to support businesses and help create the best climate for the region to prosper. This is achieved by ensuring that those taking decisions on key issues such as transport, taxation and business regulation hear the voice of our members. The representation of our members’ views is central to the work of the policy team at the Chamber; these views are gathered in a range of ways including our local councils, policy committees, sector councils, the main Chamber council, focus groups, meetings with politicians and consultations. The Chamber also offers a range of networking forums across Greater Manchester, free as part of membership, plus a variety of other events and services designed to benefit specific sectors or individuals and help businesses to grow.


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