Latest Updates From Surrey Chambers CEO – September 2023

4th September 2023

 

Ambitious action plan for skills

Creating a mechanism to deliver cultural and behavioural change in the local skills system is central to our Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), published last month following approval from the Secretary of State for Education. The report and accompanying action plan outlines key priorities for the local area to help reshape the technical skills system to better meet the needs of employers and the wider economy. The LSIP identifies four key priorities for the area. Improving information, advice & guidance; facilitating responsive and inclusive curricula; coordinating networks and collaboration and building dynamic relationships between businesses and providers.

One thing we all agree on is that we need the involvement of employers to make sure we are delivering to meet their needs. Surrey Chambers is proud to be leading on a project to help facilitate this engagement with employers and we will be urging them to be part of the drive to create a truly responsive, local skills system.

The upcoming Future Skills Forum Launch event, on 19^th  September, will bring together local skills providers and employers from all the key sectors in our area and will provide an opportunity for collaboration and partnership working.

Following on from this will be our Motor Industry event, which will focus on the specific challenges faced by this sector.

Upskilling sessions

We have been delighted by the response to our members on-line training sessions, delivered by members and complimentary to members. Next up is “Getting more sales with LinkedIn” led by Anita Saini of HX Solutions. We can really recommend these sessions packed with top tips from professionals.

Bookings are now coming in for our Accessing untapped talent events. These are a great opportunity to find out how to access great employees through different ways of recruiting. We are running these in 3 locations so everyone should be in striking distance of one of them. As we get back into the swing of business following the holiday season, we look forward to hearing from our members around what support would be helpful to them.

Economy update 

Consumer price inflation continued to ease in July, however, this comes off the back of months of high prices which have hit businesses hard, and many firms have yet to see the cost of raw materials fall. In our last Quarterly economic survey companies reported no improvement to sales, cash flow, or investment and high interest rates are now of real concern. Investment across all sectors is suffering because of the cost of borrowing and until businesses are confident that interest rates have reached their peak this is unlikely to change or improve their confidence levels.

We are always keen to hear from businesses through our Quarterly economic survey to ensure that Surrey businesses voices are heard. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY