Future Skills Sussex
Local Skills Improvement Plan
What is a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP)?
Local Skills Improvement Plans(LSIPs) were introduced through the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 and form a key part of the Government’s transformational vision for the skills system in England.
They are designed to ensure technical education, training and workforce development better reflect the needs of local employers, local economies and future workforce demand.
Developed through employer engagement, labour market intelligence and collaboration with education and strategic partners, the Sussex and Brighton LSIP identifies the key workforce challenges, skills priorities and actions needed to support economic growth,productivity and opportunity across the region.
The LSIP focuses on the skillsand capabilities employers need now and over the coming years, helping to shape technical education and training pathways from entry level through to higher-level and specialist skills.
The Sussex and Brighton LSIP isled by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce as the designated Employer Representative Body (ERB), working closely with employers, providers, local authorities and wider stakeholders across the area.
What area does the Sussex and Brighton LSIP cover?
The Sussex and Brighton LSIP covers the three upper-tier local authority areas of:
Brighton & Hove
East Sussex
West Sussex
Together, these areas form adiverse and interconnected economy spanning coastal, rural and urban communities, with strengths across sectors including digital technologies,engineering and manufacturing, creative industries, construction, health and care, land-based industries, hospitality and professional services.
The LSIP reflects the shared workforce and skills challenges facing employers across Sussex and Brighton while recognising the different economic characteristics and opportunities within local areas and sectors.
Local Skills Improvement Plan –Annual Progress Reports
Each year, the Sussex Chamber of Commerce publishes a Progress Report to review and reflect on delivery of the Future Skills Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). These reports assess what has been achieved so far, what impact the LSIP is having, and what still needs to be done to ensure post-16 technical education and training in Sussex remains responsive to the needs of local employers and communities.
The Progress Reports are developed in collaboration with employers, education providers and wider stakeholders across Sussex and include supporting annexes with labour market insights, sector analyses, survey findings, and case studies. You can explore each year’s report below.
2025 Progress Report
Published: June 2025
The 2025 Progress Report provides a comprehensive update 10 months on from the publication of the full LSIP in August 2024. It highlights the impact of Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) projects, improved collaboration between providers and employers, as well as research undertaken into green skills, Equality Diversity and Inclusion and inclusive recruitment for Neurodivergent individuals.
The Annual Progress Report 2025 can be found here.
• Annexes
- Annex A – Priorities and actions (Roadmap): Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework
- Annex C - Overview of Sussex Labour Market
- Annex D - Key Sector Analysis
- Annex E - Summary Overview of Existing Skills Reports
- Annex F - Business Survey Analysis
- Annex G - Skills Provider Survey Analysis
- Annex H to N – Sector Deep Dives (2025 refresh)
Progress Report 2024
Published: June 2025
The 2024 Progress Report was the first annual update following the launch of the Sussex LSIP. It provided an overview of early progress across the five LSIP priorities and featured high-level reflections on workforce development, sector collaboration and employer engagement. It also included detailed annexes capturing local labour market data and the voice of employers and providers.
The Annual Progress Report can be found here.
To support this progress report there are also a number of annexes providing evidence and updates on data analysis and intelligence:
- Annex A – Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework – Full Progress Against Actions
- Annex B – LSIP Case Studies
- Annex C - Overview of Sussex Labour Market 2024
- Annex D - Key Sector Analysis 2024
- Annex E - Summary Overview of Existing Skills Reports 2024
- Annex F - Business Survey Analysis 2024
- Annex G - Skills Provider Survey Analysis 2024
- Annex H - Skills Supply Analysis 2024
Future Skills Sussex - Full LSIP Report 2023
Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework 2023
Future Skills Sussex LSIP report and annexes
Below is the LSIP report for Sussex, and associated annexes, which have been approved by the Secretary of State.
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LSIP Trailblazer Reports
Below are the Sussex LSIP Trailblazer reports, which were developed in 2022. These have now been superceded by the refreshed LSIP reports.
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