The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has today published an action plan setting out 12 priorities for improving employability skills across the city region.



Set out in its Employability Skills for Growth Action Plan, launched at an event hosted by Knowsley Council, priorities identified include:

• Identifying any gaps in existing employability skills provision across the city region
• Increasing support for residents already in work to improve their employability skills
• Developing routes to high-level employability and English, Maths and digital skills for those in lower level roles to ensure the city region is ready for the development of further technical and professional jobs.

The Employability Skills for Growth Action Plan draws on existing evidence and primary research with key stakeholders across the city region to identify actions to address existing employability skills gaps and potential future demands from employers.

It sets out actions for the Combined Authority, local training providers and employers to address current and future employability skills needs in the city region.

Councillor Ian Maher, Liverpool City Region Portfolio Lead for Skills and Apprenticeships, said: “The priorities identified here are challenging and will require input from many partners to deliver. In some cases, they will require public sector reform, and we will use the Ways to Work programme to provide vital intelligence and learning to help us do that effectively.

“Working together we have made great strides in recent years, and there is more to be done to drive collaborative working across providers and employers for the benefit of us all.

“A sustained collaborative effort is required to see our ambitions realised.”

The report also identifies ways in which providers and employers across the city region are tackling the employability skills gap through schemes including:

The Ways to Work programme – delivered by the six Local Authorities across Liverpool City Region, this programme provides a range of services to residents across the Liverpool City Region to enhance their employability skills and assist them in gaining employment. The project is designed to assist unemployed people, and people not in education, employment or training, aged 16 plus.

The Working Futures programme – delivered by a partnership of 13 not-for-profit training providers based in Liverpool City Region, Working Futures supports people aged 16 to 29 who are not currently in employment, education or training (NEET) to take control of their own lives and move towards a better future.