The Local Skills Report
and Labour Market Analysis sets the strategy and priorities for Employment and
Skills in the region.
In Cornwall and the Isles
of Scilly we are ambitious for systemic change and the opportunities that
devolution will bring. Locally, skills needs and the cost of skills delivery
are significantly affected by our rural, peripheral location, the predominance
of micro and freelance businesses, high housing and living costs and absence of
major employers. This means that national policies are not always suited to
local issues.
Whilst we have achieved
much through European spend, we need to be realistic about the challenges we
face. The fact is that there has been little change in productivity in a
decade; there is a mismatch between the skills employers need and want and what
is delivered; and some parts of the county suffer continued deprivation and
hardship. Change is required and that means a forensic focus on the outcomes we
want to see embedded in delivery as well as new activity targeted at gaps in
supply. The pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the labour market
and on our high streets, but it has accelerated change and innovation and
ushered in new ways of training delivery that will open up opportunities for
our employers and workforce in the longer term.
Through a review of the
evidence and feedback from stakeholders and partners, four strategic themes
have been clearly identified to frame our response. They are not set in
watertight compartments – indeed some actions can contribute positively to all
four – but they help give focus and clarity to the major issues CIoS LEP wishes
to achieve through its actions on skills:
Strategic Objectives
Inspire: Developing the workforce of tomorrow
We have bright, ambitious
young people but too many are held back by a lack of aspiration, poor basic
skills and a lack of awareness of the opportunities that the local economy
offers. There needs to be a concerted drive to improve GCSE attainment in core
subjects, with digital skills accepted as a core skill. Fewer of our highly
qualified young people are progressing to higher education than average and
there is a need to better understand the progression pathways available from
current provision. The uptake of STEM subjects is in decline. A high proportion
of our jobs that are at risk from the impact of Covid-19 provide entry level
jobs for young people and 16 to 19 year-olds have been nearly twice as likely
to be furloughed as older workers. Partners are already seeing the number of
people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) rise, and getting
people back to work and creating new good quality jobs will be an important
aspect of the economy’s recovery. Careers education information, advice and
guidance has never been more important but it needs to be more relevant, to
engage parents as key influencers and better reflect the changing local
economy.
Transform: A productive workforce
Cornwall and the Isles of
Scilly is an economy in transition. It has incredible potential but also huge
challenges to be addressed. It has one of the lowest levels of productivity in
the country and has been particularly hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Skills
shortages and skills gaps (including basic skills) can and are limiting the
potential expansion of local businesses. Workforce training levels have been
declining. But in an economy dominated by SMEs and micro businesses, employers
do not have the capacity, skills or HR capabilities to use the skills of the
workforce effectively. Yet the LEP’s growth ambitions require a world-class
workforce and the combined efforts of employers, schools, colleges, university
provision and other training providers working in partnership will be needed to
better align delivery with employers’ skills needs and improve the take up of
Apprenticeships. The pandemic has put a premium on digital technology and there
is a need to accelerate workforce digital skills development, combined with
action to ensure that access is no longer a barrier to uptake. The LEP’s high
numbers of self-employed will need support to bounce back and regrow and there
is a pressing need to support and encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs
and to develop the leadership and management skills of our employers.
Innovate: Accelerate the growth & diversification of the economy
Cornwall has unique
opportunities to diversify its economy and expand it high skilled jobs through
harnessing its natural resources and expanding its manufacturing, tech and
creative sectors. Local sector bodies are best placed to identify the skills
they need and the gaps in the market. There is a need to support their work,
identify cross-cutting themes, broker partnerships and add value to sector
specific initiatives. For those young people who leave for Higher Education
there is a need to do more to keep in touch and better communicate the
expanding opportunities that are coming on stream to reverse our brain drain.
Aligning the provision of skills to labour market demand requires the
development of labour market information to generate, analyse and disseminate
reliable sectoral and occupational information with partners. There is a need
for a long-term perspective to help anticipate the skills that will be needed
in the future as CIoS seeks to fuel innovation, productivity, technological
change and competitiveness.
Thrive: Opportunity for all
Deprivation means that
skills are not the only barrier that some of our disadvantaged residents face.
Issues of poverty, housing, health and wellbeing mean that an holistic approach
is needed to support people furthest from the labour market towards
employability or work. Close partnership working with the DWP, housing, health
and welfare partners is needed to develop innovative solutions delivered via
outreach to residents in some of the more rural and coastal settlements where
transport adds an additional barrier. An immediate priority to tackle rising
unemployment will be addressed through our Economic Recovery Plan. Devolution
offers us the opportunity to move to a more collaborative and outcome based
approach to delivery and to provide integrated solutions. The lack of basic
skills from school leavers through to those in and out of work is closing down
opportunities for local people, acting as a barrier to work and progression.
The pandemic is expected to have a detrimental, albeit potentially short term,
impact on living standards. With almost half the population ‘just about
managing’ we need to use the opportunities to respond at speed to support those
affected to develop the skills they need, accelerating our economic recovery
and renewal. A complementary approach with businesses is required to encourage
them to pay the Living Wage and to provide working conditions that contribute
to employee health and well-being and improves productivity by reducing absence
levels.
