Skills Conference will bring business and education together

The worlds of business and education will be brought together at Warwickshire County Council's fourth Skills Conference in March.

The Skills Conference will take place on Wednesday 7th March from 8am-10am (free buffet breakfast from 7.30am) at the National Agriculture & Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh.

Its central focus will be how business and education can work together to improve the supply and demand of talented young people for the Warwickshire workforce.

Business speakers will include Peter Jarvis, managing director of Warwick-based, Contechs, which recently made The Sunday Times Top 300 for international sales. He will describe the problems he has in filling vacancies in his workforce and talk about new approaches he is trying to tackle shortages and what support he would like to receive from local schools, colleges and government.

The conference will reveal the latest forecasts for future Skills supply and demand in Warwickshire. It will also provide an overview of new initiatives and investment announced in the government’s new Industrial Strategy.

The conference is free to attend but places must be booked in advance in light of last year's sell-out attendance.

Among subjects to be discussed will be: The impact of Brexit; the Skills Gap; current supply (with the very latest analysis); and potential changes ahead.

"The overall objective of the conference is to get people from business and education in the same room to discuss what we can do to bridge the skills gap now and in the future," said Warwickshire County Council skills for employment manager Glenn Robinson.

"To have a healthy supply of talented, well-trained motivated young people coming through the education system to start careers is in everybody's interests. To be work-ready at ages 16, 17 or 18, young people need to have made right choices already so they need the right guidance at 14 and 16.

Another speaker at the conference will be Careers England chief executive Steve Stewart, who will discuss the new national careers strategy and the new requirements it makes for schools to work more closely with business.

There will also be a Q&A with a panel including a Lee Gray, headteacher of Studley High school, and representatives from business, a university and the local enterprise partnership.

To obtain a full programme, please email skillsforemployment@warwickshire.gov.uk

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/skillsforemployment.

Places at the conference can be booked at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-warwickshire-skills-challenge-how-can-we-meet-it-tickets-41276691696?aff=es2