Skills to pay the bills?

Kate Fairhurst, Director at Henham, looks at the skills shortage holding back the UK’s economy and how local partnerships can be formed to boost economic growth.

Critical to local economic growth is the capability of an area’s working population. With skilled workers high in demand, competition is fierce. As places look to build their plans to drive economic growth, skills should be at the heart of any strategy. 

Whilst national initiatives to boost skills have their place, closer collaboration between local partners could yield transformative results. With local authorities acting as a natural convener, businesses can report their skills-related needs, shortages and surpluses, with nearby further and higher education institutions then responding accordingly. This happens well in some parts of the country and less well in others. For both parties, collaboration is a win-win.

The policy debate around skills does not need to be a bleak one. Closer and more open collaboration between key partners at a local level has the potential to paint a very different, and more optimistic, picture - one that sets out an exciting vision of the future for us all.