On 20 July, Director of Business and Partnerships, Jo Houghton joined the Digital Skills panel at the Future Skills Summit organised by Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (TVBLEP).
Berkshire has long been a leading force in driving the skills agenda with the LEP investing more than £25million in skills over the past 10 years to support economic growth and resilience. Having published their Local Skills Report earlier this year in conjunction with Government, they aim to shine a spotlight on the future priorities for investment in employment and skills, initiatives that will maintain the competitiveness of Berkshire’s economy, raise productivity and improve the wellbeing of the local population.
The panel discussions covered a range of topics such as digital skills, life science, net-zero and health care skills as well as a debate on how business and education can collaborate more effectively.
The Summit was followed by an Apprenticeship workshop discussing how businesses can take advantage of the Apprenticeship Levy and dispelling some myths relating to apprenticeships.
Attendees at the event were from a broad range of organisations including businesses, education providers (FE Colleges, Universities, Schools), Local Authorities and local stakeholders as well as career leaders. Those that joined had an opportunity to hear about the TVBLEP investment projects driving economic growth in our area and joined the debate about the future skills challenges and opportunities facing Berkshire and also how employers can prepare themselves for a changing workplace.
Dr Houghton joined the Digital Skills Workshop Panel alongside:
Lee Jones, Digital Skills Lead, Microsoft
Aj Sharman, Regional Network Lead, STEM Learning
Alex Warner, Principal, South Central Institute of Technology
Chaired by:
Sarah Atkinson, Director Corporate Social Responsibility, MicroFocus
The key discussion points were:
- The digital skills that are growing in importance
- The skills gaps and differences between what employers require and those offered by education and training providers
- How employers and education providers can work together to address the gaps
You can listen to the Digital Skills Discussion here
As part of the discussion, Dr Houghton commented: "It is imperative that education providers and employers work alongside each other to support the immediate and long-term skills needs for business. In open and regular conversation, we can create a curriculum that is meaningful for students and provides the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for a productive workforce.
By providing an opportunity for students to support businesses with live projects employers can nurture new talent and share industry-specific needs as well as be inspired by fresh ideas while building relationships with a talent pool of prospective employees."
We would love to continue the debate and learn more about the future skills challenges of your business and discuss how we can support you. Get in touch by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.