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Latest Updates From Surrey Chambers CEO – June 2023

30th May 2023

 

All things skills

At the end of May we submitted our Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) to the Department for Education, having engaged with many different sectors to ensure a robust set of qualitative data. As reported before we are hearing a great deal about cross-cutting skills around employability, digital and professional skills. In May we focused in on green skills, presenting brand new research covering the growth in green skills jobs! The green transition is a huge economic opportunity, while also a significant risk. Getting the right evidence base is key so we commissioned the research to understand:

  • Number of green jobs in the Surrey and North/Mid Hampshire (“the LSIP area”), across different occupations
  • The wider green economy
  • Skills provision linked to this
  • Projections of future growth

We identified around 35,000 green jobs in the LSIP area currently, or 3.8% of total employees, which is 23% higher in the LSIP area than the UK as whole. We project that the number of green jobs in the LSIP area will rise from 35,000 in 2022 to 57,000 in 2030 and 108,000 in 2050.

Having presented these findings to 85 businesses, the room then buzzed with discussions around the green skills economy and how we can transition towards a more sustainable future. It was great to hear from businesses in different sectors within Surrey and North/Mid Hampshire. There was positive feedback from employers and their efforts towards reshaping their organisations to a ‘greener’ economy. Training providers including colleges were there supporting and collaborating with businesses. The full output from the meeting was included within our report and it was a great step towards businesses thinking about how they can be more sustainable. We were also able to share some exciting resources and events that are already available such as:

  • A Surrey Retrofit Summit: supporting businesses in the retrofit sector, including a strong focus on skills.
  • A new film has just been completed showcasing key green roles and sectors to help with Careers advice.
  • Some examples of support available to businesses:
    • EnterpriseM3 Growth Hub
    • Innovation South Virtual Campus including many free green focused courses.

The key thing about the skills work we have been doing is that it will continue until March 2025 and we aim to get more employers involved with their local providers to ensure that we are developing the best possible workforce within our vibrant economic area. This includes new entrants to the workforce but also those already within it.

Surrey Business Awards

The Surrey Business awards have a huge reach and enviable reputation. They recognise the achievements of all kinds of businesses, large and small, across different sectors in Surrey. The opportunity to enter closes this month but the winners will be announced at a gala dinner on the 17th October at G Live, Guildford and this promises to be a fantastic event.

Surrey Chambers AGM

We look forward to seeing many members at our AGM on 15th June, taking place at The Merry Harriers in Godalming, with the possibility of meeting a llama or two!