Article: Meeting the skills needs of Barnsleys economy
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Continuing its inquiry, the Economy and Skills Scrutiny Commission has asked providers how the skills gap in Barnsley is being addressed, and whether the existing system can deliver enough to improve the skills levels of people in Barnsley.
The commission has launched an investigation into how effectively the skills needs of the borough are being met in the light of the big economic challenges facing the borough.
Commission members are worried that with low growth nationally and locally, and big reductions in public sector spending likely to squeeze job opportunities in major employers such as the council and health service, more will have to be done to make sure local people have the skills needed to get jobs and make Barnsley an attractive place for new employers.
The commission wants to make sure enough is being done to achieve this and, in particular, that Barnsley develops a quality labour force which has the skills and abilities employers want.
From its inquiry so far, the commission has gained the impression there needs to be greater clarity about skills policy, and in particular whether to concentrate on preparing people for jobs which exist in the borough, or for jobs which could emerge with a new economy built, for example, on digital and low carbon business.
At its most recent meeting, the commission questioned representatives of organisations responsible for delivering skills training within the borough including Barnsley College, the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as an academic - for their views on how Barnsley can improve its skills levels.
It emerged the borough will struggle to bridge the skills gap because it wont have enough money to do this, partly because of the impact of public spending cuts. The commission was also told that whilst basic literacy, numeracy and employability skills were a problem for the economy, the borough should not forget higher level skills where Barnsley is further behind the national average and which are important for higher paid jobs. Barnsley may not be able to address both issues, the meeting heard.
Cllr Dick Wraith, chair of the Economy and Skills Scrutiny Commission, said: This is an important investigation which goes to the heart of the big economic challenges facing Barnsley. Councillors have heard and seen at first hand, that whilst a lot of good work is being done by skills providers, the experience of people out of work is patchy and not all members of the community who need it are benefiting from this support as demand outstrips supply.
We have heard that too many of our people dont have the right skills necessary to obtain jobs, such as literacy, numeracy and IT skills this is a big worry for us and we need to get to the bottom of it.
But we are very concerned that if we dont get more money into the skills system, Barnsley will continue to lag behind, even when an economic upturn emerges.
Make no mistake, along with increasing the numbers of jobs in our economy, this is probably the single most important challenge facing the borough. It is critical we take advantage of opportunities to improve skills and help people into existing jobs and, at the same time, make Barnsley an attractive place for investors because it has a skilled workforce.
Members of the commission are keen for people to contact them directly if they want to get involved in the investigation; in particular they want to hear from people who have benefited from skills training to get back into work or from those unable to get training or who were held back. Contact Paul Thorpe on 01226 773444 or email paulthorpe@barnsley.gov.uk
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