Countywide approach to skills and employment key to Hertfordshire's future recovery

Hertfordshire’s key decision makers have agreed that a joined-up countywide approach to skills and employment will be key to unlocking the county's long-term economic growth and future prosperity.

Nearly 100 stakeholders from across business, local government and education, attended the first of two webinars, to help re-shape the Hertfordshire Skills and Employment Strategy in the light of COVID-19 and provide a route-map for recovery and sustainable growth up to 2024.

The pandemic has had a particularly adverse effect on the employment opportunities of the classes of 2020/21 and other school leavers, apprentices and older workers.

The strategy is being updated for a third time to reflect the current economic landscape and continue to provide collective leadership on skills development.

Cllr David Williams, Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Since 2014, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire LEP and the Department of Work and Pensions have worked in partnership to implement the Skills and Employment Strategy and tackle the skills and employment issues faced in the county.

“With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic likely to be felt in the county for some time, it is more important than ever that we continue to work together to address these challenges in order to accelerate Hertfordshire’s economic recovery.

“The development of the third edition of the Hertfordshire Skills and Employment Strategy, supported by the recovery plan, Unlocking Hertfordshire, supports our commitment to provide a clear road map for how we can ensure the county’s workforce has the right skills to encourage sustained economic growth for years to come.”

Stakeholders were asked to share their views on these themes:

> Enhancing digital skills: to ensure Hertfordshire fully maximises its potential;

> Supporting Hertfordshire’s ‘Net Zero future’: to drive Hertfordshire’s move to clean growth;

> Social inclusion and diversity: to create opportunities for all by putting in place strategies to encourage greater social mobility.

The Strategy sits alongside Hertfordshire’s wider Economic Recovery Plan, Unlocking Hertfordshire, which puts people at the heart of recovery. It will also seek to address the impact of EU Transition, focussing on Hertfordshire’s workforce and labour migration.

As part of the engagement process, delegates were asked to have their say on proposed future themes, which will then be supported by key action plans.

These are wide-ranging, covering supporting Hertfordshire's young people (14 to 24-year-olds); lifelong learning and supporting vulnerable adults into employment; skills to grow small to medium sized businesses; and supporting the county's key sector industries and ensuring Hertfordshire fully maximizes its productivity.

The strategy has been in place since 2015 and is produced by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Hertfordshire County Council and the Department for Work and Pensions and was last revised in 2017.

The event was opened and chaired by Adrian Hawkins OBE, Chair of Hertfordshire LEP’s Skills and Employment Board.

Adrian said: “In such challenging economic times, the need for partnership working to ensure we have the skills for the future has never been greater.

"The strength of this strategy lies in that collective leadership and also our dialogue with stakeholders.

"Here in Hertfordshire we have the mechanisms in place, both at a strategic and operational level, to ensure we can continue to support our employers’ needs by building a skills pipeline to support their future recovery and growth during and after the pandemic and EU transition.

"With the Government’s renewed emphasis on employer engagement and employer-led skills delivery, we need to ensure an exciting and easy delivery of information and support options exist to ensure employers can engage with our schools, colleges and universities.

"Our central resource HOP delivers this by providing up to date information on skills and employment opportunities.”

Next steps

Stakeholders are now encouraged to give their views on the proposed themes and strategy development. Take the Skills and Employment Strategy survey.

The next webinar on February, 25, will be an interactive session that will go into more depth about the proposed themes. Click here to book your place.

A recording of the first webinar and presentations can be found on the Hertfordshire LEP website.