WE are now at a crossroads for skills and employment, both in Greater Manchester and nationally.
Businesses are used to operating in a landscape that is often confusing. Schools, colleges, training providers and universities are constantly having to adapt and change their strategies to deliver the endless changes set out by government
As employers, we need to be involved in the design and delivery of careers advice, employability training, and quality work experience for our young people. Giving a young person a clear progression route for their career is essential. And providing them with a system to help them achieve their potential is critical.
Our focus must be on getting the policies right to support this system, not on the politics which surround it. All of this requires your help and input.
I am pleased to launch our ‘Future of Skills 2028’ campaign, the focus of which will be to work with you to establish the skills that are needed to drive Greater Manchester businesses in the next decade.
Our latest Quarterly Economic Survey will focus on these key questions and help set the starting point for what we believe is the most ambitious attempt yet to finally tackle one of the biggest recurring issues for business.
By working collaboratively, we want to create a system in Greater Manchester that helps businesses to define and access the skills they require in a simple and transparent manner.
Attracting young people to good careers, with pay progression and top-class training is absolutely where the future of skills must sit.
These things are never easy but, as ‘Mr Manchester’ Tony Wilson once said, ‘this is Manchester. We do things differently’.
We must deliver the step changes that industry needs to drive productivity and that our young people need to succeed