Hampshire Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a significant government contract to provide businesses with the skills they need to grow and prosper. Ministers have designated the independent business membership organization as the ’employer representative body’ in charge of leading the Solent’s local skills improvement plan (LSIP).
The Chamber will use its convening power and knowledge of the local business landscape to bring stakeholders together to address long-standing skills challenges, according to the plan. Key players such as employers, colleges, universities, local authorities, the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and other business organisations will work together to align labour market needs more closely with training provision and skills support programmes.
Ross McNally, Hampshire Chamber’s Chief Executive and Executive Chairman, said: “In successive member surveys we have done over the past decade, skills gaps have been cited as one of the most pressing issues for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises).
“Now, in leading the local skills improvement plan, we have the opportunity to truly make a difference and enhance the essential workplace skills needed by businesses.
“We will work with our partners to help all sectors in Hampshire including marine, engineering, digital, creative, hospitality and healthcare – any industry where employers are articulating a need for better skills.
“And we will do this in an inclusive way, reaching out to diverse business communities and supporting greater sustainability on the journey to net zero.
“This is all about creating a managed framework of learning pathways and a business-led community of practice in developing skills.”
The new skills labs project-based, like the Chamber, at Fareham College business centre is one of the partners involved in the LSIP, serving as an interactive hub to connect employers with colleges across the Solent region.
The LSIP will include a new skills leadership board, a peer network for employers to collaborate on common needs, an employer needs assessment tool, a case study resource, and a “one-stop-shop” of easily accessible information for learners.
The Department for Education has set aside an initial £365,000 fund for the Chamber to use in developing the LSIP in collaboration with the Department between now and May 2023. A further £185,000 will be made available to keep the plan up to date and to support stakeholder engagement from June 2023 to March 2025.
The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce will provide support for Hampshire Chamber’s LSIP work in the Solent. Hampshire Chamber of Commerce will work with Surrey Chamber of Commerce on a separate LSIP throughout the EM3 Local Enterprise Partnership area.
The government has announced 38 English LSIPs in total, with 32 of them led by local chambers of commerce. Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Closing the skills gaps across English regions and sectors will help build all communities.”
