Future Skills Sussex Conversation

We are taking a Sussex-wide approach to skills related conversations with businesses.

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Through our conversation theme we aim to:

  • Enable change.
  • Promote and facilitate collaboration with education and skills providers.
  • Understand workforce challenges and skills needs.
  • Embed the role of business in the development of an appropriately skilled Sussex workforce.
  • Encourage and support businesses investment in the training and development of employees.
  • Monitor impact of the LSIP on employer skills needs.

The partners

The Sussex Chamber of Commerce is the lead for this theme, and we are working with the following core partners to coordinate with and add value to existing 'skills conversations' with businesses.

Our activity

Through research and analysis, consultation and planning workshops we developed a set of recommended actions which form part of a 3-year action plan for each Framework theme.

The overarching recommended actions for Conversation are:

  • Carry out mapping activity to understand what conversations are already happening. Define what ‘coordination’ looks like and identify what the gaps are.
  • Develop a Sussex-wide ‘approach’ to sector-based conversations and collaboration to bring about change.
  • Embed a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion in business engagement to understand good practice and promote opportunities.
  • Raise awareness of and build engagement in local and regional skills initiatives.

View the full action plan here.

Project News

NetZero and Green Skills Research – Future of Green Skills Sussex

The LSIP team has been working with Clean Growth UK, at University of Brighton, on a project around NetZero and Green Skills.

This project has been undertaken as part of our actions with the LSIP Improvement Framework under the Intelligence theme to ‘Build on the sector deep dives with a particular focus on skills for NetZero and climate change; and equality, diversity and inclusion’.

We have taken a sector led approach to uncover the current skills challenges, potential and opportunities for transition in each of the LSIP key sectors.  

The resulting report for Sussex businesses, job seekers and our strategic partners examines the current landscape, local support structures and future prospects of Green Skills.

Read the report here.

Future of Green Skills Sussex Event

Our recent Future of Green Skills event in collaboration with the University of Brighton's Clean Growth UK took place on Wednesday 25 September, in Plus X Brighton's fantastic Launch Space.

The event included discussion on the key finding of this project, local business talks into how they are dealing with NetZero and the skills they use. We also had an ideas avalanche workshop on how to up skills your workforce.

A massive thank you to everyone that was involved!

Please view the event presentations below:

Event Report

Off the back of the workshop segment of the event, we have created a summary report which also contains recommendations and next steps for organisations involved, or indeed organisations with and interest in the recent Future of Green Skills Sussex main report.

To view the summary report please click here.

Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) research

Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse workforce

The LSIP team has now completed the project which has built on the sector deep dives undertaken as part of the LSIP development. This project has a particular focus of improving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) knowledge and understanding in businesses to improve workforce skills and practices to recruit and retain staff.

Our aim was to delve deeper into the realms of Equalities, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within the local business community to research and report on examples of good practice in local businesses.

We believe that fostering a diverse and inclusive environment is not just morally right but also commercially astute. It's about shaping a future that values everyone's contribution and provides equal opportunities for growth and success.

The resulting report for Sussex businesses, job seekers and our strategic partners provides:

  • a shared resource of useful tools and information to assist businesses in enhancing their EDI approaches.
  • access to valuable local and national EDI data to inform business strategies and thinking.
  • information on the support organisations and initiatives across the Sussex area available to businesses to support them engage and retain a diverse workforce.

Read the report here

Recruiting & Retaining a Diverse Workforce in Sussex Event

Our recent Recruiting & Retaining a Diverse Workforce took place on Wednesday 11 September, in Plus X Brighton's fantastic Launch Space.

The event was an opportunity to hear about the key findings from out recent research report into Equality, Diversity and Inclusion support for local businesses. We heard from local employers about their inclusive employer journeys and discussed how to implement EDI strategies within business.

A massive thank you to everyone who was involved!

Please view the event presentation below here.

Event Report

Off the back of the workshop segment of the event, we have created a summary report which also contains recommendations and next steps for organisations involved, or indeed organisations with and interest in the recent Recruiting & Retaining a Diverse Workforce main report.

To view the summary report please click here.

Inclusive pathways to Employment: Unlocking the talent of neurodivergent individuals and people with learning difficulties in Sussex

The LSIP team have now finalised this research and report as a key action within the LSIP Intelligence theme of the Future Skills Sussex Improvement Framework to "Build a picture of existing programmes to support people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) and those from disadvantaged groups into employment within key sectors."

Our goal is to foster a more diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce in Sussex, benefiting not just neurodivergent individuals and people with learning difficulties but the broader business community and society as a whole.

By undertaking this review, we aimed not just to map the current landscape but to highlight and share good practice and suggest actionable strategies for improvement.

The resulting report for Sussex businesses, job seekers and our strategic partners provides:

  • An evidence base of key information regarding neurodiversity and learning difficulties within the workplace, including benefits for employers and the support available to businesses across Sussex.
  • Local provision and examples of good practice.

Read the report here

Inclusive Pathways to Employment Event

The second in our series of three events took place on Thursday 19 September with out Inclusive Pathways to Employment event in Plus X Brighton's fantastic Launch Space.

As well as hearing about the key findings of this project, we also heard from local employers about their experiences hiring neurodivergent talent and  neurodivergent individuals’ employment journeys.

A massive thank you to everyone who was involved!

Please view the event presentations below:

Event Report

Off the back of the workshop segment of the event, we have created a summary report which also contains recommendations and next steps for organisations involved, or indeed organisations with and interest in the recent Inclusive Pathways to Employment main report.

To view the summary report please click here.

Learner Focus Project Findings

We are pleased to share our recent Learner Focus Project report with our partners and businesses across the Sussex area.

The following report contains background, key findings and suggested actions from a short project that was undertaken due to a gap we identified in our intelligence during the development of the LSIP report. Throughout the LSIP process we have spoken to employers and providers but had not yet engaged with learners. The aim was to undertake a series of workshops with learners and adults seeking employment in order to hear their views on employability skills and future employment.

In order to undertake the project, we worked in collaborate with LSIP partners and providers, including colleges, universities and Restart providers (a support programme for unemployed adults) across the Sussex area in order to speak with their learners. In addition, we were invited to speak with the Youth Hub in the Brighton & Hove area and the Connected Futures project being run by CXK in Hastings.

We would like to thank all these organisations that were involved and supported this project.

The link to the report can be found on our here.

Any feedback or queries regarding this project please contact us at [email protected]

It’s vital for our business stakeholders to be a part of these conversations

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LSIP events

Get involved and help shape the future of Sussex business.

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Partner events

If partners would like to have their events included on our website please email information to [email protected].

Conversation findings

Our skills conversations link closely and support our intelligence evidence base. Read more about our skills intelligence here

Intelligence
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