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Leeds Skills Board
Background
The Leeds Learning Partnership operates under the umbrella of the Leeds Initiative, the Local Strategic Partnership for Leeds, to bring together all those involved in learning, to plan for the city, and to work in delivering the Vision for Leeds through collaborative actions.
Specifically, the Partnership aims to make Leeds a learning city where businesses and individuals benefit from accessible world-class learning, creating a wealthier city and personal and social satisfaction.
Rationale for change
The Leeds Skills Strategy was developed in June 2005. It has moved the partnership agenda on significantly by pulling together current research and analysis relating to skills and training. It suggests some key priorities and calls for a strategic skills group to be established as the driver of progress. There is also a marked change in the national agenda as set out in the Skills White Paper in March 2005. More generally policy is moving towards creating a demand led learning system with more emphasis on employers’ skills needs than has previously been the case.
These developments have given Leeds the opportunity to consider how employers and learning providers work together to deliver the vision and the structures required. The result was the proposal for a Skills Board, facilitated by Leeds Chamber, the city largest business organisation.
Terms of Reference
a) The aim of the Skills Board is to raise the skills levels of the city to meet the current and future needs of employers. It is primarily concerned with ‘Skills for Work’ – vocational education and skills training.
b) The Skills Board will develop, change and improve the relationship between employers and learning providers.
c) The Skills Board will set out an overarching vision and objectives drawing on the Leeds Skills Strategy and the Vision for Leeds. It will commission short life working groups to devise practical policies to deliver this vision.
d) The Skills Board will take responsibility for identifying and articulating skills priorities for the city and ensuring that needs are addressed in plans and strategies.
e) The Skills Board will use its profile and influence to effect change in the use of mainstream and discretionary funding by all the key agencies involved in skills development.
f) The Skills Board will actively promote good practice, improvement, innovation and efficiencies in learning and skills provision.
For further info contact Gary Williamson at Leeds Chamber or click here to email