The LSIP team, which is supported by West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Black Country Chamber of Commerce, held the event with businesses and training providers at Millennium Point in Birmingham.
Key figures from the Chambers and the WMCA presented findings and evidence from the first phase of the LSIP that identified skills shortages in the region, which included a stark shortfall in leadership and management.
The event heard that businesses struggle to recruit skilled leaders and managers, particularly project and programme managers and that many SMEs lack time and resources to engage with existing high-quality training that is available.
There is low awareness of available leadership and management provision, with 74 per cent of employers unaware of existing training mechanisms but at a time when leadership skills are increasingly in demand, with a 75 per cent rise in management skills requirements and 68 per cent in leadership skills over the past three years.
All in all, it means there is a productivity lag in the region compared to the national average which weighs on economic growth.
The workshop was designed to build on that evidence-base and co-create solutions with businesses that would enhance the number of managers and leaders taking up training to improve individual skills, help to grow the business and boost the regional economy.
Proposed solutions, which will now be worked into a final plan, included flexible, on the job training; coaching and mentoring of leaders; leadership skills being embedded into mainstream education; and improving awareness and navigation to what is already available.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Businesses tell me they often struggle to find people with the right skills for jobs they need to fill. So, by putting employers in the driving seat of shaping the training courses on offer we can make sure people learn the skills that are most in demand. This is how we make sure young people are equipped for the jobs of the future and businesses have the skilled workers they need to grow. That’s a win-win for everyone.”
Corin Crane, the chief executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “What our work has shown is that there is a shortage of leadership and management skills in the region.
“Businesses know this already, but they are not sure how they address it and that is why this piece of work is so important because it’s vital for the regional economy that we solve this.
“The reason for this workshop wasn’t to produce a long report but to really listen to our businesses and providers in the room, put that together with survey work we’ve already done, and devise some really tangible solutions.
“This isn’t about what works for training providers and colleges, it’s about what would get businesses to engage and make leadership and management skills a real priority to help them grow.”
Further solutions workshops are taking place in the West Midlands in February:
Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Tech and Defence on Friday, February 6 from 9am to 1pm at Village Hotel Dudley.
Health and Med Tech on Monday, February 9 from 9am to 1pm at Millennium Point, Birmingham.
Creative & Digital on Friday, February 13 from 9am to 1pm at Park Regis Birmingham.
Professional and Business Services Wednesday, February 25 from 9am to 1pm at Coventry Conferences, Coventry University Technology Park.
For more information on the LSIP or to be part of the conversation contact: [email protected]
*Pictured: Back (left to right): Emily Stubbs (Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce), David Gaughan (West Midlands Combined Authority), Richard Smith (West Midlands Combined Authority), Raj Kaur (Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce).
Front (left to right): Lorna Taylor (Black Country Chamber of Commerce),Mahfia Watkinson (West Midlands Combined Authority), Corin Crane (Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce).
