Austin Challenges Black Country to Boost Skills Levels
The Black Country needs to make boosting its skills levels a top priority to meet the economic challenges of the future, says Regional Minister Ian Austin.
A highly skilled workforce is essential for business in the Black Country and the region as a whole if it is to capitalise on opportunities arising from new products, processes and industries when the upturn comes.
The Minister issued this stern warning at a conference at which the Black Country Partnership for Learning revealed its plans to tackle the lack of higher level qualifications in the Black Country, saying:
“Skills need to be our number one priority if we are going to be able to attract new jobs and new industries that require a skilled workforce.
“We need to capitalise on opportunities in new growth areas such as advanced manufacturing, low carbon technologies and hi-tech engineering and ensure we equip our businesses and workforce with the skills and capabilities to take advantage and be ahead of the game.
“A skilled workforce must be our number one priority as it is the essential foundation we need to build the kind of dynamic, knowledge led economy for the region to compete when the upturn comes. Up-skilling our workforce and training apprentices in preparation of that upturn is now more important than ever for us all."
Colleges, training providers, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, Advantage West Midlands and other parties came together under the Black Country Partnership for Learning last year to find ways of increasing the number of people with Level 4 and above qualifications in the Black Country.
The move came after statistics revealed the region needed 35,000 more people to attain skills at Level 4 or above – the equivalent of graduate level – to close the gap with the national average.
Ian Millard, Principal of City of Wolverhampton College, said: “Skills are one of the building blocks of a thriving economy and in the current climate higher level qualifications have never been so important.
“For the Black Country in particular, up-skilling is vital to help end the region’s over-reliance on manufacturing, which has rendered it vulnerable to economic change.
“The Black Country Higher Level Framework aims to increase the number of employees with higher level skills, as well as those seeking employment or intending to start their own business. It also seeks to address the Black Country’s current £4.2bn productivity gap with the rest of England.”
Kim Rowlands, Black Country Partnerships Team Leader at Advantage West Midlands, said: “It’s great to see organisations from across the Black Country and the region, working together to increase skill levels so that Black Country businesses can move forward and innovate. Higher level skills are crucial to the regional economy’s future success and will help make our businesses more productive, profitable and successful in the long term.”
The strategy focuses on five key elements: young people, adults and community, employers, curriculum and graduate retention.
The conference, at The Ramada Park Hall Hotel, Wolverhampton on Monday 11 January, will raise awareness of the strategy and showcase activity already taking place by different organisations across the Black Country in order to improve the higher skills deficit.