LEP business leaders tackle skills agenda with Anne Milton

LEP Chairs from England’s Local Enterprise Partnerships met with the Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, the Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, to discuss the future role of LEPs in tackling critical skills issues across the country, and to ensure that the business voice and experience of LEPs remains a key influence in decision making on skills provision.

LEP business leaders discussed a range of issues with the Minister including:

• How LEPs can best support small employers to provide apprenticeships and the impact of the apprenticeship levy on SMEs
• Discussion on the need for clearer progression pathways for young people doing apprenticeships.
• Assessing the most effective ways of helping young people access all training and skills opportunities available, and helping SMEs connect with this pool of talent.
• How LEPs are supporting businesses and learning institutions as place makers in their local areas - driving economic, social and cultural prosperity and success.
• LEP support for the Department for Education in delivering LEP Local Industrial Strategies.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Anne Milton, said:

“It was great to meet the LEP Chairs and hear from them what’s working well and what more we can do to help businesses with apprenticeships.

“LEPs can play a very important role in working with business, colleges and training providers to make sure we get the skilled workforce we need.

“LEPs are critical to making sure the aims of local Industrial Strategies deliver the increased productivity we need.”

Following the announcement of the government’s Review of LEPs, the government has announced an additional £20m for Local Enterprise Partnerships as well as the second wave of LEP areas that will work with the government on designing their Local Industrial Strategies.  

South East Midlands LEP Chair, Dr Ann Limb CBE DL, said:

“Government and LEPs have many shared aims, covering education, skills and training from school to university, supporting employees and helping to deliver what business wants.

“These fundamental drivers of our economy are central to the productivity agenda and to the Government’s successful delivery of its Modern Industrial Strategy, underpinned by the local Industrial Strategies that LEPs are currently producing.

“Our meeting with the Rt Hon. Anne Milton proved an extremely useful discussion, covering some high priority issues across the current skills agenda. It proved a valuable chance for business leaders to underline the importance of the local business voice in ensuring local skills solutions are meeting the needs of business across the country.”