Member Article

Research shows potential for learning to assist Greater Manchester’s growth sectors

New research provides detailed evidence on the current and future skills needs of Greater Manchester’s nine priority economic sectors.

A series of reports across economically vital sectors – defined in terms of projected employment and economic output – for the first time gives detailed insights into employers’ skills needs and the extent to which the skills supply system is equipping people for labour market success. The reports seek to offer employers and learning providers the basis for agreeing future skills provision for Greater Manchester residents.

The research shows rising skills requirements across all sectors – including those that have traditionally not required high skills, such as logistics and construction. Half of jobs to 2022 will require the equivalent of NVQ Level 3 skills (broadly equivalent to ‘A’ levels) and a quarter will require NVQ Level 4 (broadly equivalent to a first degree).

Although training provision across the conurbation appears to be moving towards delivery at higher skill levels, very significant proportions of it remain concentrated at lower levels.

For example, in courses related to the financial and professional services sector – the sector which will create the majority of new jobs to 2022 - 30% are at Level 2 and 51% are at Level 3. However, the majority of jobs will require Level 4 skills and just 2% of learners funded by the Skills Funded Agency in Greater Manchester are currently learning at this level.

Cllr Jim McMahon, chairman of the Greater Manchester Skills and Employment Partnership, a voluntary collaboration of employers, colleges, training providers and local authorities aiming to improve labour market performance, said: “We want Greater Manchester residents to have the skills and abilities that employers seek both now and in the future.

“It is really important that when people take a course to give them skills, what they learn must give them the best possible chances in life. That means colleges, private training providers and learners themselves all need top grade information about what is happening in the local economy and labour market, so that courses are relevant and up-to-date with what employers need.”

James Farr, Director of Skills and Employment at New Economy said: “Greater Manchester has the best labour market intelligence of any city in the UK. We now need to use it.

In an age of decreasing public expenditure, every penny invested in learning has to deliver maximum gains to the individual learner, to their employer, to the city, and ultimately to society at large.“

The nine key sectors identified for economic growth in Greater Manchester over the next decade are:

Advanced Manufacturing Construction Digital and Creative Education Financial & Professional Health and Social Care Hospitality and Tourism Logistics Retail

The research found that ‘mandatory qualifications’ – learning that needs to be undertaken before learners can work in a sector – remain a fundamentally important driver of learning. Where sectors have light-touch ‘license to practice’ requirements they tend to do relatively little training.

It also revealed that Greater Manchester faces a number of specific skills shortages. These include: chefs, fork lift truck drivers, mechanics, biomass engineers, joiners, dry-lining specialists, sales and marketing specialists, nurses and dementia specialists, dental practitioners, pharmacists, insurance specialists, education staff at levels 2 and 3, alongside qualified, senior teachers.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .