Earlier this year, Liverpool City Council (LCC) released a strategic plan for 2022 – 2025. It outlined a vision for a trusted, aspirational, and learning council, enabling a thriving and sustainable city for everyone.
The report summarised that the proportion of residents with no qualifications has remained at twice the national average for the past decade. To tackle the current trend, the council will place a relentless focus on the education attainment rate.
In addition, the plan outlined steps to reshape the economy and address job insecurity. To support economic development and unemployment, we are actively working with several employers and organisations across the region to design and develop training programmes that meet the current skills demand and help individuals secure great employment opportunities.
Over the last six months at Complete Skills Solutions, we have supported individuals to progress into sustainable employment. 70% of our Digital Contact Centre learners recently secured employment upon course completion for example, whilst 90% of learners who underwent our Port Operative training secured employment with a leading employer.
The plan comprises of eight strategic themes, including ‘High-Quality Education, Skills and Employment for all’. The Council wants to encourage lifelong learning, enabling clear pathways into employment for all ages and allowing more residents to contribute to the economy and progress in work.
At the centre of Liverpool’s skills eco-system are businesses and voluntary organisations. By investing in vital education and skills, the Council’s ambitious plans promise to support long-term skills development across the region.
Consistent engagement and involvement of employers in specifying their current and future skills needs can help shape the training opportunities across the region. Collaboration with training providers will be a key enabler in the success of skills development.
Liverpool has faced a longstanding skills deficit, which was only made worse by the pandemic. The needs of employers remain significant to the growth of the local economy, and whilst measures have been implemented to remedy the skills crisis, more action is required.
Alongside LCC, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority published the ‘Skills Action Plan’ for 2022/23, which included key areas of focus and measurable actions.
The plan includes the expansion of Sector-based Work Academies to offer individuals opportunities to access available employment vacancies through bespoke training programmes. Sector-based Work Academies have already largely proven successful across the region, so the proposal of further opportunities is promising for regional skills development.
Additionally, the plan wants to continue ensuring that individuals are supported to acquire and apply appropriate employability skills sought by employers, in addition to vocationally focused training needs. Employability training should be considered a non-negotiable element of any training opportunities if we are to arm individuals with the skills, tools, and techniques to impress employers during the recruitment process.
Whilst plans from both LCC and LCR are extremely promising, the success of the plans relies heavily on the collaboration between employers and training providers. To successfully meet skills demands and close the growing deficit, we must work together to design training programmes that support workforce mobilisation.
At Complete Skills Solutions, our mission is to provide adults with training opportunities that support them to progress into positive destinations, whether that is further education and training or employment.
Our partnerships span a variety of sectors, including Warehousing & Logistics, Health & Social Care, Hospitality, Customer Service and more.
To help tackle some of these skills deficits in the local area, we recently launched two new initiatives designed with industry at the forefront. The first, The Aspiring Leaders Programme, target businesses who want to nurture their future leaders through leadership and management training, as well as targeting individuals who want to take their career development into their own hands and progress into leadership roles. The latest skills programme to launch, the Care Development Project provides an end-to-end training and development programme specially for the care sectors. By working with our sister company, Grey Matter Learning, we have developed a programme that includes a multitude of career development pathways that can support those new to, as well as those already established in the sector.
By building a training solution around the needs of our local economy we can help to drive social mobility, foster skills development, and ultimately plug skills gaps.
All our current opportunities are available here.
