New skills initiative launched to cater for business needs

GBSLEP launches Skills and Apprenticeship Hub to streamline services.

The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership has launched a new skills initiative designed to provide a one-stop shop to meet businesses’ training and skills needs.

The GBSLEP Skills and Apprenticeships Hub has been launched on the first day of Resilience Evolution Recovery, a week-long series of virtual events hosted by GBSLEP focused on key themes for businesses from around the region.

The new hub will enable the delivery of a completely business focused skills offer to employers across the GBSLEP region, with expert apprenticeship advisors and skills brokers working with employers to design and develop a demand led approach to training, bringing all the expertise and support services that are available under one umbrella.

The Hub as our vehicle to deliver our employer focused responses to Government initiatives, such as Plan for Jobs, Kickstart, as well as apprenticeship grants and traineeships.

Helen Higson, Chair of GBSLEP’s Employment and Skills Board, said: “The Skills Hub will provide a one stop, business-focused skills solution for employers across the GBSLEP geography. It will house many of our recovery response programmes; including Plan for Jobs interventions such as the Kickstart scheme, apprenticeship grants and traineeships.

“It is crucial that our businesses need to have access to the right skills. We have been identifying the skills needs we face and how our economy is best placed to take advantage of emerging opportunities in all of our priority sector work areas; life sciences, advanced manufacturing, business, professional and financial service, creative industries and low carbon.

“We see skills and training as a catalyst to economic recovery and we are committed to ensuring recovery builds an economy stronger than before.”

Businesses based in the nine local authority areas covered by GBSLEP will have access to the new hub. The areas include Birmingham, Solihull, East Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Tamworth, Redditch, Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest.

You can sign up for GBSLEP’s Resilience Evolution Recovery virtual event series here.