LSIP to take business skills discussion on tour of East Yorkshire

The team behind a new partnership set up to tackle skills shortages has announced details of a series of face-to-face events which will give businesses across Hull and East Yorkshire the chance to share their views on the issues.

The HEY Local Skills Improvement Partnership (LSIP) will hold six events in seven days to follow up on the responses to an online survey which has now closed. Hannah Crookes, manager of the LSIP, said: “We received a lot of responses to the survey and the next step will be to reach out to the region with events in a number of different locations to make it easier for businesses to take part.”

The sessions will be open to businesses from all sectors. There will be an additional event focusing on rural economy, agri-tech and food at Bishop Burton College from 8am until 10am on Wednesday 22 February.

The government has introduced 38 LSIPs nationwide under the leadership of various business support organisations, with Chambers of Commerce leading 32 of the new bodies. The HEY LSIP is also working closely with neighbouring LSIPs across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Hannah added: “LSIPs will only be successful if employers play as full a part as possible. That starts with sharing expertise and experience about the challenges around recruiting and training as well as opinions on what needs to change.

“We have received excellent insight from major employers and from small firms who make up the vast majority of our business community. We hope to hear from many more and we will use their input to make our work as relevant as possible to their needs.”

Businesses have responded positively to the research so far, with key figures from large and small firms across a wide range of sectors taking the opportunity to respond.

Kirk Akdemir, CEO of AA Global Language Services, said: “We completed the survey and we also had a discussion about the challenges faced by employers and employees alike following the pandemic and in the current economic climate, particularly the issues and opportunities around remote and hybrid working.

“LSIPs have the potential to help employers tackle the problems presented by staff and skills shortages but it’s important that they are dealing with real-world experiences so it’s vital for businesses get involved.”

Nicola Lamb, HR director UK and Ireland for Zertus UK, which employs about 100 people at its Humdinger site in Hull, said: “Skills are one of the most important aspects of our business and any other business. There are lots of external challenges that all businesses face and labour is one of the biggest, seeking and being able to retain talent is incredibly important to us.

“The big positive about what the LSIP is doing is the collaborative approach. When we talk to other businesses you find you all have similar concerns and frustrations and challenges. It’s the opportunity to collaborate and find a solution that works for all of us rather than fight against each other for talent.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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