The solution to Lancashire’s ongoing skills gap lies in closer alignment between education and business, according to education experts from across the county.
While the national conversation continues to focus on skills and training, panellists at the latest Lancashire Economic Breakfast agreed that Lancashire already has a strong pipeline of talent.
The comments were made at the event, sponsored by leading independent law firm Brabners, where a full house at Runshaw College in Leyland heard from a panel of experts representing commerce.
Dr Brian Sloan provided an overview of the latest economic picture for Lancashire through the QES results, highlighting that a recent rise in young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) to a five year high, alongside increasing youth unemployment, has pushed skills and recruitment to the top of the agenda.
During the panel discussion, Dr Michelle Lawty Jones, from Lancashire Skills Hub, spoke about the transformative potential if all businesses across Lancashire contributed even a small amount of time, resource or investment towards skills development. She noted that collective action at a county wide level could unlock significant opportunities for young people and help employers address persistent recruitment challenges.
Sophie Addison, from Addison Engineering, highlighted the importance of engaging young people much earlier, stressing that employers need to be visible in schools to help students understand the breadth of local career opportunities available to them.
Several panellists also emphasised that relationships between businesses and education providers must be strategic and long term rather than transactional. Building trusted partnerships over time, they said, would enable colleges, training providers and employers to plan together more effectively and respond to changing skills demands in a coordinated way.
Jennie Jones, partner at Brabners, said: “There is a £20bn investment pipeline over the next decade to develop Lancashire’s infrastructure and support the growth of its key sectors. In addition, the county will play an important role in the government’s target of building 1.5 million new homes.
“To maximise these economic growth opportunities, Lancashire’s education providers must be aligned with industry so that young people leave education with the skills they need for jobs in the county.
“There are already some brilliant examples of this happening in clusters, but a more strategic approach is needed. Devolution will help by giving Lancashire greater flexibility to align skills provision with local economic demand, but collaboration between the public and private sectors will be essential.
“Businesses need to explain to skills providers the capabilities they need. Brabners’ True North network stands ready to support businesses, education providers and policymakers in developing systems and curriculums to capitalise on this generational opportunity and unlock growth.”
While recruitment was the core focus of this quarter’s Economic Breakfast, the broader discussion reinforced a number of key takeaways for the Lancashire economy, including that local businesses continue to show resilience despite national growth flatlining, domestic markets are showing modest signs of improvement, and that skills shortages remain the single biggest barrier to future growth.
The panel concluded that addressing the skills gap through long term collaboration, earlier engagement with young people and shared responsibility between employers and education providers will be crucial if Lancashire is to unlock sustainable economic growth in the years ahead.
