Time to get serious about bridging Midland skills gap
THE skills agenda has been top of politicians’ and business leaders’ in-trays for some time as government and industry face a constant battle to keep up with ever-changing technologies.
With some of the nation’s most groundbreaking companies based here in the West Midlands, the region finds itself at the forefront of meeting demand for emerging jobs and markets.
But the West Midlands faces a serious crisis as about 13 per cent of its population is unskilled, with 12,000 people classed as NEETs (not in education, employment or training).
So how can this inconsistency be solved?
The Birmingham Post teamed up with Lloyds Banking Group to bring together a panel of industry experts to discuss the future of the West Midlands economy and how the skills gap here can be addressed.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street painted a mixed picture to the panel and delegates, praising the growth of the region’s economy but decrying its poor performance on skills.
“The growth of the West Midlands economy per head of population is running at three times the national average, yet despite that success, we still have this challenge,” he told the event.
“In 2016, nearly a third of all the jobs created in the country, 110,000, were created across the wider West Midlands.
“But the big red mark in our regional economic performance is the skills base and it will prevent growth going forward. The proportion of our population with no skills at all is 13 per cent, which is the worst of any region in the UK.
“There have been lots of brilliant responses to this but we need an overall framework for the region which we will produce over the next two months.
“We have to be really restless and dissatisfied about this.
“For us to be the worst in the country isn’t good enough – the West Midland doesn’t do worst any more.”
Alec Cameron, vice-chancellor at Aston University which now runs a degree apprenticeship, told the event there was no supply or capacity issue in Birmingham as the city had the third largest education economy after London and Oxford.
But he warned there was still work to be done in reaching under-served communities and retaining graduates.
He added: “The scale of academic enterprise across our schools, colleges and universities is significant and nationally renowned in the UK. We have diverse participation across education within Birming- ham with areas of fantastic participation and others areas which are not as strong. Around 50 per cent of students in Birmingham stay here for their first job.
“Given that we are a significant inbound destination for students coming to university, if we can increase the number which stays on afterwards, we will realise the benefits of their skills and capabilities.”
Martin Dodd, Lloyds Banking Group’s ambassador for the Midlands, discussed how the bank was working with local schools and colleges on improving access to information about the career options available.
He said: “There’s a danger around assumptions people make regarding universities.
“When you talk to students in schools, you want them to understand the breadth of career options available and that they don’t necessarily have to go to university, they could follow the apprenticeship route.”
He added: “What we are looking at is how can we better help the communities we are in. Whether providing career support and financial life skills to young school pupils, or helping customers and local businesses to improve their digital skills.
“Our colleagues are extremely passionate about this and they love doing this kind of work as they feel they are putting something back into the local community.
“We’re immensely proud of what we’ve done but the question to ask is, should we be doing more? “What else could we be doing?” Clair Mowbray is chief executive of the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham, which is educating the next generation of rail engineers.
She said: “We have spent a long time looking at the education sector and at how we can do things better and serve the industry we have been established to serve.
“The information for the learner, employer and parents just isn’t there so we need to get clarity and detail about what the offer is around education at all levels.
“One of my concerns is we talk a lot about young people coming out of school at 16 or 18 and also about those in employment who are being ‘up-skilled’.
“But we have this whole raft of adults who are wanting to retrain and get back into employment and the real risk is they will fall between the gaps of education and our business community.”
Christian Warden, head of skills development at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry, said the UK needed to understand its place in the global market. He said: “For every engineering graduate we produce here in the UK, India produces ten.
“So before we can start to move forward, we have to address that global competitiveness. We also have the beauty of the fourth industrial revolution which, within ten years, will change the lives of everyone. If we don’t have the people to operate in those areas, we will not be able to compete regionally, national or globally. There is a big valley of death in middle where research and development isn’t coming together with industry to make things actually happen and be implemented.”
For us to be the worst in the country isn’t good enough – the West Midland doesn’t do worst any more West Midlands Mayor Andy Street