Future Workforce
Currently, the proportion of the region’s workforce with
leadership & management training and NVQ Level 4 training
is lower than the national average. As well as tackling these
shortfalls in the current workforce, we need to make sure these
shortfalls do not exist in the future workforce - so our future
workforce can support growth in our economy.
The NWDA is working closely with GONW, the Skills Funding
Agency, HEFCE, Local
Authorities and other regional partners to develop the educational
infrastructure which, in turn, will develop the skills of the
region’s future workforce.
The Regional Economic Strategy identifies the need to develop
the following for 14-19 year olds:
- Increased education opportunities
- High quality careers information
- Vocational and workplace learning opportunities
- Easier access to Further & Higher Education
The NWDA is involved in supporting the future workforce by:
STEM Skills
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills are
crucial to the UK's future prosperity. They are recognised as a key
to economic growth because they are the foundation level
qualification required to equipped the region’s key sectors with
the highly skilled staff they require.
The region’s businesses are already experiencing recruitment
difficulties of specially skilled staff and there is a shortfall in
the numbers choosing to study STEM subjects in the region to meet
this demand.
The NWDA is working with partners to make sure the future
workforce is able to meet the STEM skills needs of businesses
through:
The NWDA is also supporting climate change STEM education
activities in the region’s schools through a website for teachers
to inform them on climate change developments and provide classroom
resources.
Enterprise Academies
Knowsley Enterprise Academy, which has received £2.3 million of
funding from the NWDA, has revitalised an area hit by economic
decline, promoting and teaching enterprise and entrepreneurship
skills to over 6,500 16-19 year olds since it opened in May 2005.
The Academy, which is based at the North Mersey Business Centre,
also offers incubator space to start-up businesses - which have
historically found it hard to flourish in the area.
Due to the success of the region’s first academy, a second
academy - the Northwest Hub of the National Enterprise Academy - is
being developed by entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den judge Peter Jones.
This new academy will offer mentoring, masterclasses and incubation
support to help young people from all educational backgrounds get
their ideas off the ground. The academy team is also working with
the Curriculum Qualification Authority to develop a new innovative
award in enterprise.
Further Education Enterprise Hubs
The NWDA is investing £2.5 million in 13 Further Education
Enterprise Hubs to create an "enterprise journey" that will
introduce children to the concept of enterprise in schools, and
offer pupils a clear entrepreneurial route that they can follow
through to university. The Hubs will work with clusters of primary
and secondary schools to help embed enterprise within the
curriculum.
Future Workforce Initiatives
The region’s future workforce needs better access to education
and skills. The NWDA supports a "hands-on" approach to improving
access through workforce initiatives that give young people the
chance to meet future employers and sample working life: