Skills
Background
There is no getting away from the fact that 70 per cent of the labour market of 2020 has already left statutory education. In the West Midlands almost 50,000 new jobs will be created and another million will need to be refilled over the next 10 years, all against a trend towards fewer low-skilled jobs, and more jobs requiring degree-level skills, and above. BCI supports the need to create a culture of lifelong learning, and to make it as easy as possible for people to access training, and for it to be affordable and relevant to their employers.
BCI Position
It is vital that people have the appropriate levels of numeracy, literacy and IT skills for the jobs of the future, and a range of other transferable skills, so they can find employment in a variety of fields.
BCI has identified the following as its five main skills policy priorities:
1. Diplomas: BCI will be working to ensure that key Diploma stakeholders (young people, their parents, teachers and employers) are informed and equipped with the necessary information required to fully understand the benefits that a Diploma qualification offers.
2. Apprenticeships: BCI will work with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to raise employers awareness of the Apprentice programme but also to highlight members concerns to NAS at the practical difficulties businesses face with this initiative.
3. NEETS: As employment is the ultimate aim for all Government attempts to deal with the NEET phenomenon, BCI - as part of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) – is currently investigating employers views and perceptions of NEETs.
4. Graduate Employment: BCI believes the ‘Graduate Advantage’ initiative should be built upon and developed – including introducing measures which will address the barriers so often cited by SMEs such as a lack of time and expertise to offer placements - to support Birmingham and the region in its efforts to tackle graduate and higher level skills shortages.
5. Adult Skills: BCI will continue work with the LSC to help employers up-skill their workforce using the Train to Gain programme of support.
Kiran Virk is your Policy Manager for Skills. If you have an issue on this subject you would like to discuss, call 0121 607 1781 or email k.virk@birminghamchamber.org.uk.