The three major FE Colleges in Worcestershire, Heart of Worcestershire College, Warwickshire College Group and Kidderminster College, have been successful in securing government funding to work collaboratively as part of the government’s Skills Accelerator Programme.
The programme is a core part of the government’s blueprint for reshaping the technical skills system to better support the needs of the local labour market and the wider economy. It incorporates the Local Skills Improvement Plans.
With a focus on collaboration, the Connectors project has been created and led by Heart of Worcestershire College, will explore how the participating Colleges can help to implement the Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIP) within Worcestershire.
LSIPs aim to reshape the technical skills system to better support the needs of the local labour market and the wider economy by:
- bringing employers, colleges, other providers, and local stakeholders together;
- setting out the key changes needed to make technical skills training more responsive to employers’ skills needs;
- adapt provision to the challenges and opportunities most relevant to the local area
The Connectors Project Group recognises the importance of developing a collaborative and joined up approach with employers (and other providers).
The Connectors Employer Survey is an opportunity for employers across Worcestershire to engage with the project, and to provide information, intelligence, evidence and advice regarding investment, training, skills need and future recruitment to their workforces.
The feedback received will help to identify the barriers and challenges that are encountered and identify potential solutions and opportunities, whether they be short, medium, or long term, that will ensure a more responsive provision offer in the future.
Employers are encouraged to get involved and to complete the survey which can be accessed here.
The closing date for the survey is 4pm Friday 11 March 2022
Enquiries regarding the project or accessing the survey can be directed in the first instance to Donna Gibson, Heart of Worcestershire College, email dgibson@howcollege.ac.uk.