Speaking at the event, Suzie Branch-Haddow, chair of the Skills WM+W Steering Group and Vice Principal at BMet, said:
“Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire is bringing two worlds closer together, demystifying the world of further and technical education. Our task is to inspire, to engage with business and to remove barriers – visible or invisible. We’re in the business of offering skills solutions.
“We’re changing the culture around how we work and how we engage with employers. More fundamentally, we’re in the business of changing lives. Not just equipping people with skills and qualifications but giving them the confidence to succeed.”
“I’m so pleased that we’ve recognised some great businesses. What we learn from them is that businesses which are engaged with the FE system experience improved recruitment and retention of staff. In short, business engagement pays dividends and makes our products better.”
Excellence in Skills Partnership Awards winners were:
- Brown and Holmes nominated by South Staffordshire College
- Consilium nominated by South and City College
- CPW nominated by University College Birmingham
- Currys nominated by BMet
- Freeflow Pipesystems nominated by Dudley College
- hydraPower dynamics nominated by The Sandwell Colleges Group
- Marcegaglia nominated by Performance Through People
- Midwest Mechanical & Electrical Services nominated by City of Wolverhampton College
- Millboard nominated by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training
- STS Aviation nominated by Solihull College and University Centre
- Thorlux Lighting nominated by Heart of Worcestershire College
- Trade Centre nominated by Walsall College
- TruTrade nominated by Warwickshire College Group
Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said:
"Skills West Midlands and Warwickshire is showing exactly how the system should work, bringing education providers and businesses together to address skills gaps and create real opportunities for young people and adults alike. Whether students have a clear career path in mind, or are still figuring it out, they need access to high-quality training, work experience and careers advice to help them succeed.
"Through local skills improvement plans and direct collaboration between employers and further education providers, we're seeing a shift from competition to genuine partnership.
“This joined-up approach doesn’t just fill vacancies, it gives students the confidence, direction and opportunities they need to build successful careers, while strengthening the workforce in the region’s key industries."
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands added:
“Only by working together can we tackle the unemployment challenge in the West Midlands. By strengthening relationships with employers and improving how we design and deliver training, we can unleash the potential of people and help businesses grow. It’s why it is important to celebrate how Skills West Midlands and Warwickshire is supporting businesses to build the workforce in growth industries of the future.”
Three Innovation Hubs launched across the region, backed by WMCA and Innovate UK, are driving regional business innovation through technology adoption and training for small businesses. Skills WM+W is now part of the West Midlands Digital Skills Consortium addressing the urgent need for a skilled digital workforce in the region. A suite of free, online, modular courses was launched earlier this year to help tackle region’s fundamental leadership and management challenge.
Over the next year, Skills West Midlands + Warwickshire aims to increase the number of partnerships with SMEs; increase employer satisfaction in skills and training provision and inspire employers to co-create a suite of training solutions with trusted providers.
Corin Crane, Chief Executive of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce said:
“In the Local Skills Improvement Plan, local businesses set our FE and Private Providers a big challenge – to collaborate in such a way that it was easy to find the best quality provision from the best provider no matter where they were based. SkillsWMW have risen to this challenge brilliantly and the new website and joint projects is already paying dividends for the local economy. The Chamber network is proud to support this work and we hope we can secure funding for a long term future”
