This morning I attended an extremely useful roundtable hosted by Buckinghamshire Business First at Bucks UTC. The theme was skills and how we can level up our workforce. It was very valuable to get insight directly from businesses in the Aylesbury area. There were excellent ideas on ways to get more people into the workforce, including helping school children to be work-ready and building confidence amongst those who have recently lost their jobs due to Covid. I was able to give participants an update on the Government's skills agenda, including new plans unveiled by the Department for Education and BEIS. The Government has provided significant funding to plug the skills gap. With apprenticeships, the lifelong learning guarantee and boot camps, more people can access opportunities to develop new skills. The message is clear – no matter your age or the stage of your career, you can access training opportunities to help you get your next job or promotion. Thanks to everyone who attended – BBF, Buckinghamshire Skills Hub, the Local Enterprise Partnership, businesses and charities.
