4.1
Staffordshire is a relatively affluent county. Stafford, South Staffordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands and Lichfield districts are among the least deprived according to the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).²
4.2
The claimant rate for state benefits in Staffordshire remains below regional and national rates. At the time of writing, the cost-of-living crisis is affecting residents and businesses in Staffordshire as it is nationally, and there are significant job opportunities available locally, and priority sector skills areas in Staffordshire are digital, STEM, construction, Health & Social Care, and the green economy.
4.3
Over recent years, the proportion of residents with level 2 equivalent qualifications has grown and now exceeds the national average and level 3 and level 4 rates are closer to the national average. However, residents with no qualifications remains around 6-7%, indicating a need to provide learning at lower levels to tackle this.
² English indices of deprivation 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
4.4
In 2022 the Council developed a new Economic Strategy 2022-30 with one of the key priorities to have higher skilled, higher paid workforce³
The strategy identified that low levels of skills are particularly entrenched within Cannock Chase, Tamworth, and parts of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Addressing this issue by supporting our residents to gain higher levels of skills will have job, not only by increasing people’s prosperity but also improving health and wellbeing.
4.5
The districts of Staffordshire are covered by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SSLEP) whose Strategic Vision is:
“To help deliver a diverse, inclusive and sustainable economy across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, developing local skills which enable more people to access higher value, better paid jobs across a wide range of priority and locally important sectors.”
4.6
The SSLEP has established its Skills Advisory Panel (SAP) to ensure that it “gets ahead and stays ahead when it comes to education, training, skills and jobs.”
4.7
As part of the Council, the Community Learning Service has a strong partnership with the SSLEP and involvement with the Skills Advisory Panel.
The Local Skills Report⁴ influences local partners to match the provision offer against employer skills demand and local identified need.
Within this report there are seven strategic priorities; Community Learning strongly aligns to the following priorities:
- Supporting and enabling adults to secure employment, to reskill and raise their skill levels and engage in lifelong learning, to enable career progression and increased productivity in priority sectors.
- Supporting greater diversity and inclusivity in the workforce and enable disadvantaged young people and adults to engage in learning and skills programmes, progress to employment and improve their health & wellbeing.
- Ensuring young people and adults are equipped with the digital skills required in the changing world of work to support growth in productivity.
³ Economic strategy: 2022-2030 - Staffordshire County Council
4.8
Other local opportunities for strong partnerships and collaboration include:
- Local Skills Improvement Plan, led by Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce,
- £4.2m Multiply Programme targeted at adults without L2 Maths, led by Staffordshire County Council,
- and Staffordshire County Council’s Job Brokerage Service⁵ designed to match local people, employers, and training providers to fill jobs and provide people with the jobs and careers they need.
