Nova Fairbank, Chief Executive | Norfolk Chambers of Commerce

“We are so pleased to welcome such an experienced and knowledgeable group of business and education leaders to our LSIP Board. The LSIP is a fantastic opportunity to bring employers and providers closer together and, through greater collaboration, make a difference to the local skills agenda for Norfolk and Suffolk.”

John Dugmore, Chief Executive | Suffolk Chambers of Commerce

“Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has been involved in shaping the LSIP programme for nearly two years, so this first Norfolk & Suffolk LSIP board meeting represents an important milestone in embedding the business voice into future skills planning cross the two counties.”

Dean Pierpoint, Project Manager | Norfolk Chambers of Commerce

“After many weeks of planning and discussion it was great to get the first Board meeting in the diary. I am sure with the breadth of knowledge on skills from education providers and public sector organisations as well as input from the business community we will be able to shape the local skills improvement plan to have a positive effect on the skills landscape in the region. The team are now looking forward to engaging with the business community for their views on skills!”

Reacting to the latest ONS Labour Market figures, Nova Fairbank, Chief Executive at the Norfolk Chambers, said:

“Businesses are crying out for people to fill job vacancies at all skill levels, and this must be the number one focus for government if it’s serious about Norfolk’s economic growth.

“There are still a huge number of vacancies, currently sitting at 1.134 million, and this is stopping firms in their tracks. It means they are struggling to meet the orders on their books, and it puts any plans for growth far out of reach.

“It is also ramping up pressure on wages, currently at the highest rates seen in the private sector outside of the pandemic. This has been identified by the Bank of England as a factor in its decisions to raise interest rates to tame inflation.

“Government plans to get the UK’s untapped labour force into employment are a step in the right direction, but we need to see more action in Norfolk to address the barriers that are holding people back.

“The Spring Budget represents a golden opportunity for the Chancellor to ease the pressure on family members who have been squeezed out of the labour market by childcare costs.

“Older workers need carefully tailored careers advice, job seeker support and rapid re-training opportunities to help bring their skills and experience back to the workforce.

“Businesses should play their part by adopting flexible working policies, wherever possible, and by supporting staff training needs.

“And crucially, Government should reform the Shortage Occupation List to help firms fill urgent job vacancies from outside the UK when they cannot recruit locally. The List should include jobs at all skills levels where there is clear evidence of a national shortage.”

Get Involved

• The Quarterly Economic Survey 2023 Q1 is NOW OPEN.
• Join our series of free LSIP events running Norfolk and Suffolk – BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY

Image credit: Canva 2023

Skills challenges – chances are, you have felt them within your business. So, what is the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) doing to highlight the employer skills challenges across Norfolk and Suffolk?

Over the next few weeks, we’re hosting a series of free to attend events across Norfolk and Suffolk, for you to come and discuss keys areas of the LSIP programme.

The first LSIP Roadshow event was held on Wednesday 22nd February at the Maid’s Head Hotel in the heart of Norwich. This event sold out within two weeks, highlighting how important businesses feel the skills gap issue in Norfolk is.

We are working with the Department of Education (DfE) and our colleagues, the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce to engage with businesses that are demanding change within the skills provision. By talking to us, and sharing insights, we are better placed to highlight the skills gaps across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are asking businesses who are looking to future proof their growth, to engage and collaborate with us – these frontline experiences form the catalyst that will develop the LSIP Plan.

“We must upskill and mobilise Norfolk.”

The morning event started with a welcome from Dean Pierpoint, LSIP Project Manager, and an opening address from Tom Humphries, Skills Policy Manager at Norfolk County Council.

Tom gave an outline of what a County Deal for Norfolk involves, saying, “We have to upskill and mobilise Norfolk.” This is the second attempt at a devolution deal – now under a different framework that puts rural communities on a standing of their own.

He explained the funding will boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards and importantly empower local leaders and communities, “The LSIP plays a really important role for Norfolk skills and is a significant opportunity for our county – get involved and get your voice heard.” He went on to say that the LSIP is ‘developing our system – it’s a dialogue with employers and is evidence of where we will be funding’.

“Communication in business is key, so use your voice to have an impact.”

Dean Pierpoint, LSIP Project Manager spoke on the issues affecting Norfolk and Suffolk businesses right now; “Change is afoot, our counties are facing a massive skills problem but we’re going to change the skills landscape for the Region”.

“However, we are here to identify the positives through collaboration and spreading the word.”

The business community has a voice to encourage greater collaboration between employers and training providers. When asked on ‘what can businesses do now?’, Dean went on to say, “Communication in business is key, so use your voice to have an impact!”

The final guest speaker was John Fowler, Senior Account Manager from Turning Factor, who spoke about the recruitment/retention dilemma that faces many businesses, citing 75% of people leaving a business will put it down to poor management and leadership.

Empowering and engaging your team is what should drive your company’s mission, it should be the catalyst to your business’s growth.

Questions raised.

Susan Falch-Lovesey, Stakeholder Manager, Business Development at Equinor asked on the research process and getting down to the granular data, ‘Are you looking at specific sectors for a bigger impact and the big wins?

Rob Panter, Managing Director at Canham Consulting talked on the lack of direct paths for people in Norfolk to train in Norfolk. ‘Young people must be trained outside of Norfolk; it’s exhausting for them and its expensive for businesses – they need to be trained here and trained properly.”

Sally Butcher, Managing Director at Realise Futures said, “Our company absolutely promotes everybody with disabilities, I’m concerned we’re going to see a lot of people left behind in skills”. She went on to say, “Qualifications aren’t always the route to progress, soft skills, communication and working in a team are vital skills to learn.”

Jonathan Cage, Managing Director at Create Consulting  asked on the future of the programme, ‘Where does this sit in the future?’

Tom at Norfolk County Council responded with ‘A devolved Norfolk with autonomy should look very different from a Brussels decision.”

Gordon Simpson, Partner at Howes Percival LLP a Cornerstone Group employer said, “Young people are not work ready, we really need to tackle work experience – young people need that spark and enthusiasm”.

Angela Carpenter, Pathways 50+ and Account Manager for Futures for Business spoke on the problems within Norfolk and Suffolk seem to lie in working with schools and employers – “There is a particular mindset when it comes to grants and funding.”

All of the questions raised at the LSIP Roadshows will be taken into consideration when assessing the skills gaps in Norfolk and Suffolk – so we need to hear from businesses of all sizes and sectors.  Thank you so much to all our guests for attending, and to the Maids Head Hotel for their hospitality.

If you like the sound of this event, and you want to hear more about LSIP why not come along to our upcoming LSIP events? The next event is on Wednesday 15th March at the Thomas Paine Hotel, Thetford. For a full list of all dates click here

Why should you get involved?

• You want to increase the growth of your business.
• You want your team to have the skills they need to be engaged, empowered, and moving forwards.
• It’s vital to retain the talent within your business.
• You want to attract the right people, for culture, for growth and for success.

We are engaging with businesses of all sizes, stakeholders, colleges, training providers and universities to enable a more responsive and collaborative approach to the development of the local workforce.

What happens next?

Over the coming months, we will be conducting Employer Engagement surveys, telephone interviews, opportunities for 1-2-1 discussions, focus groups and events.

Our LSIP Board is now in place to provide direction, oversight, and review of the development of an effective LSIP for the region, the first meeting took place yesterday, 17th January and was a huge success in steering the programme forward.

You can view the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce LSIP programme of events across Suffolk here

While skills gap is a big issue in many parts of the country, we rarely think of the whereabouts of these skills gap. Rural areas, for example, are one of the most impacted by skills gap and retention challenges.

There are many reasons for these issues including poor internet signals and rare to non-existent public transportation. All these commodities that big cities and wealthy areas have implemented already. So how can rural areas become more competitive for the workforce and retain their staff for longer? Are there any benefits that the rural population can benefit from?

In this article, we address the main issues about skills gap in the rural areas while listing the main benefits of investing for the future workforce.

Why are rural areas reporting skills gap?

According to the UK Parliament, rural areas find it hard to retain skills because of poor infrastructure, less attracting job offers and poor provision of essential services for keeping young people to live and work in rural areas.

Some of major limitations rural areas face are:

• Limited range of job opportunities.
• Poor connectivity & high-speed internet, limiting digital skills availability.
• Transport and accessibility issues.
• Relative importance of self-employment and small businesses.
• Seasonalised / casualised labour markets meaning there is little incentive for investment in training.
• Importance of informal networks in accessing employment.
• Relatively low wage levels.

These facts alone are the main motivators for young & skilled individuals to move to bigger towns or cities where funding and investments are greater.

What are the reasons skilled individuals move to cities?

According to the Digital Education Resource Archive (DERA), much of rural employment is also concentrated in small firms which further limits opportunities for young people to upgrade their skills and take up training (line 76).

Ambitious skilled individuals will look to grow their careers within companies that offer trainings or position growth internally. Most rural areas are too limited with resources or accessibility, making it hard for them to grow their workforce and, therefore, their company.

The lack of training or upskilling in these rural companies also become a cause for skilled individual to move to cities. For the young people who look for apprenticeship or internal training find more opportunities and space within busier & wealthier areas.

Why do some rural areas do better than others?

According to webinar presenter Anupriya Misra, rural areas which have a wealthy local population or have products with strong global demand are likely to be high performing.

Some rural areas have better ground available for big companies needing surface to build their resources/warehouses (e.g. Amazon Central). This positive outcome help create local jobs and retain local skills. In that principle, some rural areas will do better than others in which can offer such flexibilities to global companies.

Living in Norfolk/Suffolk? Read what we are saying in LSIP Roadshow.

Benefits of improving skills gaps in rural areas

If the budget would allow it, investing in rural areas could prove beneficial for:

• High-speed internet connectivity for digital skills:
  With high-speed internet, employers would be able to attract digital skills. But this availability would also improve lifestyle to homes & families on a daily basis.
• Offering local training & apprenticeship:
  With improved public transportation, young individuals will be able to access companies’ locations and improve their skills for the benefit of the company. But improved transportation would also help the population in being more mobile within the rural areas.
• More funding to help businesses expand in rural areas:
  With more funding available for rural businesses creates more openings for skilled individuals to fill. And with increasing job availability, the greater the retention of skilled workers.

In a nutshell

Living in rural areas can have several benefits and positive impact on a lifestyle. But when it comes to work and retaining young adults in the workplace, it may be a different challenge.

The main challenges rural areas face to retain skilled workforce are poor internet connectivity, lack of public transportation, low number of openings and lack of training available for upskilling existing employees.

Some of these pain points may be answered by levelling the company’s offerings (salary, training, etc) or by getting more help from the government and education. Some rural areas are struggling financially and cannot afford to upgrade their areas for better connectivity or more transportation.

The young workforce is more and more moving to big cities where investments are promising employee growth and where skills are in demand. But there are great benefits in investing in rural areas such as retaining the young workforce and upgrading the local economy.

LSIP | Act now. Future-proof your workforce Complete our online free survey to make your voice heard. At Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, we have a team of experts that can help you figure out your business’ roadblocks.

Find the Employer Survey here: https://form.jotform.com/223474490001043

Have you ever wondered if your business could sustain itself without the right people? Considered outsourcing personnel to close the skills gaps within your company? Have your employees experienced a drop in morale due to gaps in your workforce?

Skills shortages can have a major and wide-ranging influence on people and organisations. When you have a discrepancy between the skills present in the workforce and the skills needed for the job, then skills gaps arise.

The consequences of this soon become apparent. It can impair an individual’s ability to advance in their job and result in lower productivity and competitiveness. Additionally, organisations may have trouble finding and keeping top employees, which could result in missed business opportunities and workload increase for existing employees.

We’ve listed below the most common impacts businesses experience with skills gap.

#1 – Slow business growth

Not having the right people or talent in place could slow the growth of your business, or see you struggle to deliver your service or product to the expected standards.  Which, in turn, impacts your revenue and expectations when it comes to your business ambition. This can create doubt within your workforce in the future of the company, leading to drop in motivation or need for a change in career.

#2 – Struggling to meet delivery expectations

Maintaining your business’ services when there’s a skill gap can be a slippery slope to failure. Staff turnover or difficulties to keep up with the demand can also be factors in a skills shortage. Technology, demand, and processes evolve all the time, and it can be challenging to keep your staff up to date or evolve their positions to meet new demands.

#3 – Difficulty in competing

If your business is in a competitive industry, you’ll find that skill shortage can put you in a difficult position against your competitors. While some companies can invest in internal training or in the right talents, this may not be true for all businesses.

#4 – Depending too much on outsourcing

Outsourcing came be a great solution for your business, but if your operations depend heavily on this, it can lead to an unnecessary stress on both your team and your clients. There are cases where some businesses are nervous taking on new contracts or feel in a vulnerable position because they can’t rely on outsourcing or feel limited with costs and availability.

#5 – Workload and stress increase within the workplace

When your resources are limited within your business, you may find yourself giving your existing employees more work. In turn, this can increase stress within the workplace with the potential to impact staff morale and increase dissatisfaction.

#6 – Can’t attract or retain the right talent

Sometimes, skills gap can have a very different impact where the company doubts its capabilities of attracting the right talent. For example, if skilled people decline a company’s offer, that company may begin to question its offering, entering a vicious circle of low staff moral and slow business growth.

How your business can overcome these impacts

There are various ways in which you can lift your business’ skills and staff morale whilst retaining the right talent. You can read our article here to find out more about what you can action near you.

Or participate in LSIP to make a difference to the future of local skills for Norfolk & Suffolk.

Learn more about Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) here.