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Create the future workforce & skills to meet the needs of our economy

The work by our Sector Panels has identified some great strengths in our education and vocational training system which is working to deliver the skills needed by most of our sectors, however, there remain significant skills issues. It is clear that there is a need to fine-tune the information and signals that young people receive about career and employment opportunities, especially as skills needs evolve.

Download: Cumbria Apprenticeship Strategy 2023 (.PDF, 1.2MB)

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The strands in terms of meeting future skills needs are:

  • Support the further development of and then response to the sector skills plans
  • Work on improving our careers education and work experience across the county and developing the curriculum to meet future skills needs
  • Work with the education system to help address the variations and gaps in attainment and progress which represent lost opportunities and talent for Cumbria
  • Work on increasing the number of apprenticeships and experiences of the workplace opportunities

There are sector-led skills plans to raise and extend skills for each of the LEP’s sectors to be taken forward by the LEP Sector Panels.

Changing labour market needs and increasing skills gaps mean that it is important to help link our current young people into the future workforce. We need to better use and develop further careers and educations business-links. There is a strong sectoral element here which requires employers to be heavily involved. We need to ensure better consistence in careers advice and in improving understanding of the wold of work. The LEP has already made progress in this area and intends to:

  • Implement a new careers strategy for Cumbria, including the promotion of higher education opportunities
  • Develop a co-ordinated approach to high quality work experience across all sectors
  • Work with the education sector and employers on “digital credentialing” to capture a broad range of skills and attributes to help better passport young people to jobs and employers

Overall, our education system works well, but there are variations and in particular there is a concern about the disadvantaged young people who leave school less well qualified and prepared for further education and work. The LEP will work with schools, employers and the County Council as education authority in supporting school improvement strategies and actions to address the progress and attainments gaps across Cumbria.

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