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.
Skills Matters – Insights from the Sussex LSIP Board
We’re launching a new series of articles called Skills Matters, where members of the Sussex LSIP Board will be sharing their expert insights on the issues shaping workforce skills, training, and economic opportunity across the region.
Each article will focus on a different theme, from local skills challenges and sector-specific needs to policy changes and innovation in education and training. Together, these perspectives will help shine a light on what matters most to employers, providers, and learners, and how we can work together to meet Sussex’s future skills needs.
First up: Seizing the Opportunity – Skills, Devolution and the Industrial Strategy
In the first article, our LSIP Board Chair, Dan Shelley, explores the skills opportunities emerging from the government’s new Industrial Strategy, and what they could mean for Sussex, particularly in light of the region’s ambitions for devolution. Dan discusses how the Sussex LSIP and its partners are well placed to take advantage of the strategy’s focus on local skills planning, employer engagement, and innovation.
Read Dan’s article here
Sussex Skills 25: Future Skills for a Future Economy
On Tuesday 30 September 2025, more than 170 employers, educators, policymakers and community partners came together at the Amex Stadium, Falmer, for Sussex Skills 25.
The conference, hosted by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce as the Employer Representative Body for the Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan(LSIP), provided a dynamic day of discussion, debate and inspiration. Delegates explored the progress made so far through the LSIP, heard from Sussex employers on how getting supporting the LSIP is benefitting their business, and looked ahead to the opportunities presented by devolution and the future world of work.
A day of insight and inspiration
The morning began with a warm welcome from Dan Shelley, Chair of the Future Skills Sussex LSIP Board, and Rose Read from Brighton & Hove Albion, who hosted the event at the Amex Stadium.
Jamie Zucker of Skills England then set the national context, highlighting how LSIPs are shaping skills policy across the country. This was followed by local council leaders Cllr Keith Glazier (East Sussex), Cllr John Hewitt (Brighton & Hove), and an audio contribution from Cllr Paul Marshall (West Sussex), who outlined the facts of the proposed Sussex Devolution deal. Richard Freeman, CEO of Always Possible, gave a powerful business perspective on what devolution could mean for local employers.
Attention then turned to progress so far in Sussex, with Claire Witz and Kirsten Trussell sharing the successes of the LSIP to date– from new training pathways and innovative use of technology to stronger partnerships between employers and providers.
Sector spotlights showcased employer-led skills solutions in practice, with case studies from Simon Pringle (Red River Software, Digital Tech), Sarah Crush (Thakeham Homes, Construction) and Hayley Quinnell (Flour Pot Bakery, Hospitality). They were later joined by Rose Read for a pitchside chat, sharing lessons on collaboration and building talent pipelines.
After an interactive session to gather audience views, the afternoon turned to the future. Delegates heard a video message from Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade and the Secretary for Business and Trade before Mary Kemp, co-founder of AI Potential, delivered a thought-provoking keynote on AI, adaptability and agentic thinking. Mary also led an interactive workshop to explore how Sussex organisations can prepare their workforce for the future economy.
The conference closed with reflections from Dan Shelley, who emphasised that 'the future of skills in Sussex isn’t being done to us – it’s being built by us'.
A successful and collaborative event
The day was marked by lively debate, inspiring speakers, and real collaboration between employers, providers and policymakers. It was clear that the LSIP has already delivered impact across Sussex, and that businesses are keen to play an active role in shaping LSIP 2.0.
Conference Presentations
All the presentations from the day are available to view,providing a useful reference point and the opportunity to revisit the insights and case studies shared by our speakers.
You can find the full speaker presentations here:
A Sussex Perspective on Devolution- Richard Freeman
LSIP & National Skills Landscape- Jamie Zucker
Sector Spotlight- Hayley Quinell
Sector Spotlight- Simon Pringle
Successes So Far- Claire Witz & Kirsten Trussell
Thank you
We would like to thank all our speakers, panellists and contributors for their time and expertise, and most of all the delegates for bringing their energy, ideas and questions.
A special thank you goes to:
- Ana Christie, Chief Executive of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber team for their invaluable support both in preparing for the conference and on the day.
- The dedicated LSIP Team, whose work made the event possible.
- Our event supporters: the local Chambers of Commerce and business membership organisations Chichester Chamber of Commerce, Burgess Hill Business Parks Association, Crowborough Chamber of Commerce, Gatwick Diamond Business, Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce, Lets Do Business, Newhaven Chamber of Commerce, Peacehaven & District Chamber of Commerce, Uckfield Chamber of Commerce and Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce who helped us promote the event widely across the region.
PBS Group, for their excellent event registration services.
- Taking the Pixels, for their support in filming the event.
Looking ahead
Sussex Skills 25 showed what can be achieved when employers, educators, and policy makers and more come together. The journey continues aswe move into the development of LSIP 2.0 – and we invite all employers andpartners to stay involved.
There are many ways to engage – particularly by helping usdevelop the next phase of the plan, LSIP 2.0. Employers and partners canprovide insights into their skills challenges and workforce needs through ourupcoming roundtables, events and consultations. Employers can explore theseopportunities through our Menuof Employer Engagement Opportunities, which sets out practical ways to getinvolved.
Stakeholder Conversations
Continuing the skills conversations across Sussex with LSIP stakeholders is an important part of the LSIP activities to ensure that intelligence is current and the LSIP remains relevant.
During March 2025 a series of stakeholder skills conversation roundtables and 121 meetings took place. The meetings were an opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to intelligence gathering and to determine future priorities. The summary report can be found 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.
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 an 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.
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 an 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.
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:
- Inclusive Pathways to Employment
- Rolls Royce Motor Cars
- Brighton i360 - Katie's Journey
- Brighton i360 - Sam's Journey
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 an 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 skills@sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk
It’s vital for our business stakeholders to be a part of these conversations
LSIP events
Get involved and help shape the future of Sussex business.
Partner events
Conversation findings
Our skills conversations link closely and support our intelligence evidence base. Read more about our skills intelligence here
Join us on our Journey
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