Focus on skills structures in Yorkshire and Humber

The region’s skill structures are overly complicated, lack focus and are difficult for businesses to understand, a key new report out today reveals.

And new ways have to be found to directly involve the business community in identifying future skills needs, says the report from the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly.

The Assembly’s eighth scrutiny review has looked at the effectiveness of skills policy in the region and to what extent it has contributed to achieving the aims set out in the Regional Economic Strategy.

Witnesses from business and public sector gave evidence to the review, which also included members of the Assembly’s scrutiny panel asking representatives from Yorkshire Forward how the work is being used to best benefit the region.

The report produced has made a number of key recommendations. These include:

• Regional skills structures are overly complicated and lack focus, with specific issues around the ability of business to understand and engage with these structures. The Panel recommended Yorkshire Forward continues to work with key partners to agree an action plan for a fundamental change to the structures;
• Yorkshire Forward must find a new way to involve businesses in identifying future skills needs and focus on meeting the needs of employers-in particular to address identified skills gaps and involve Higher Education institutions;
• Yorkshire Forward must work with the Learning and Skills Council and other regional partners to identify additional support for people to obtain further qualifications in key occupational sectors of current and future regional importance. This will help to respond to labour market needs to address particular skill gaps;
• Yorkshire Forward must commit to work with the business community, LSC, LEAs and other partners to ensure that there are innovative vocational learning opportunities for 11-19 year olds who are not in mainstream education or who are at serious risk of exclusion.

Julian Cummins, Chair of the scrutiny panel, said he hoped the report, which focused on a small number of key recommendations to meet the needs of the region, would bring about real change in the £30m of public money spent on skills.

“Skills is too important an issue for the region to get wrong,” he explained.

“Good skills provision, at all levels, is key to our economic future. It can connect people to economic opportunity and it can make our businesses more successful.

“I think the report and its recommendations offer a balance of the points raised by witness. What we now need to see happen is action from Yorkshire Forward and other regional partners to address the issues raised and bring about real change.”