Let’s Talk Real Skills ensures significant improvements in skills provision through a strong collaborative approach with sectors and industry groups linked to FE and HE.

The project will deliver a tailored, sector model for engagement. This model will include employers, industry bodies, colleges and universities working together to transform the skills system. Each sector group will aim to create a system that works for employers by:

• Creating space for employers to work with their supply chains, business clusters and skills providers.
• Delivering a sector market for skills development where SME employers make a greater contribution for higher quality training.

Let’s Talk Real Skills will strengthen the vocational education and training systems within the Leeds City Region by creating a mechanism for skills anticipation over the next five-10 years.

It will drive the adaptation of the skills offer in FE, HE and private providers to meet the skills needs as prescribed in the Industrial Strategy, the Digital Strategy and meeting Industry 4.0 requirements and appropriateness of design to manage multigenerational workforces.

Collaborative Skill Partnerships will demonstrate more effective and sustainable ways to improve skills and how these improved skills can increase productivity and growth.

Employers of all sizes will work with their representatives (including trades unions, where appropriate), colleges, universities and other training providers, to articulate ‘Collaborative Skill Sets’. These will influence how they will collectively design a range of training and employment opportunities to drive up enterprise, jobs and growth within their sector, supply chain or locality.

Project Impact

• Align SMEs’ skills demand with capacity to deliver the right skills solutions
• Put employers at the centre of the skills design
• Improve access to training solutions by SMEs and supply chains
• Address sector replacement demand issues
• Facilitate collaboration between educators and business to tackle skills gaps
• Provide immersive learning and virtual reality solutions
• Provide training that builds resilience to economic change
• Enable innovative delivery methods to be developed and tested
• Transform the skills system to work for employers
• Impact supply chains and business clusters
• SME employers make a greater contribution to higher quality training.

Like to be involved with Let's Talk Real Skills? Complete our general enquiry form