Skills summit to boost job hopes
Published 13 May 2011 11:30
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ONE in five employers do not believe staff possess even the basic skills - literacy and numeracy - to do their jobs and fear the problem could seriously derail Reading's future economic prosperity.
Some of the area's biggest companies are so concerned about the situation that they are taking part in a crisis skills summit a fortnight today. Unlike other job fairs and networking events the conference is aimed specifically at finding genuine long term solutions for Reading's skills shortages.
The summit is being hosted between 8-10,30am on May 26 by economic development company Reading UK CIC at the penta hotel in Oxford Road and the programme includes talks by Microsoft and Oracle Corporation.
In 2009 a Reading UK CIC survey of more than 500 local businesses showed almost 20% suffering a workforce skills gap - in other words almost 20% of workers lacked the necessary skills to do their jobs "effectively and productively".
While one-in-five employers considered new recruits well prepared to work in their business, nearly two-in-five through they were poorly prepared.
Last year the company commissioned research by six leading Reading University academics whose Local Economic Assessment report confirmed the town's functional economic area (FEA) to be one of the most economically buoyant English sub-regions.
They warned lack of strategic planning was "likely to have far reaching damaging economic effects beyond the local area", and their three key concerns were peak road congestion, coupled with weaknesses in local public transport services outside Reading, high housing costs, and "an indigenous underclass poorly achieving in education and skills".
In response, Reading UK CIC appointed Helen Brind to lead its Skills for Business campaign. and she said: "Reading has a real issue with Level 2 skills - what most people refer to as basic skills - which includes literacy and numeracy.
"Over the past decade level 2 skills attainment has improved by 7% nationally, whilst over the same period the worst performing Berkshire Unitary has improved by 4% and the best by 10%, but Reading has seen no improvement.
"As our economic assessment highlighted it's been a long standing issue that could threaten our economic growth and prosperity."
Helen has helped persuade Reading companies to respond "brilliantly" this year to its drive to provide 100 new apprenticeship places in 100 days. With three weeks left 141 have already been pledged.
She has also campaigned to ensure the future workforce learns skills to match Reading's employment needs. On one hand more engineers are required to meet a known skills shortage, but at least 3,000 jobs are being created in the next few years in warehousing, distribution and logistics and it is essential that local people have the skills needed to compete for them.
Limited places for the skill summit can be booked by following http://www.livingreading.co.uk/skillssummit.html or contacting Helen Brind at helen@livingreading.co.uk or 07747 795003.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 13 May 11
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