A MAJOR, strategic review of employment skills in Warrington looks set to start next month – with the aim of ensuring the town’s future economic success.
The town’s Skills Commission 2023 will be launched by the borough council and will involve elected members of the council, employers, skills providers, voluntary sector organisations and government agencies.
It will come 10 years after the last similar skills review was held in Warrington – and it is hoped a report, with a series of recommendations, can be presented to the council’s cabinet in May next year.
A report to be presented to the cabinet on Monday next week (September 12) by council leader Russ Bowden, will stress the need for the review
“A failure to recognise the skills needs of the local economy, and to put in place a programme of interventions with partner organisations in the town will undoubtedly threaten Warrington’s future success,” the report states.
Warrington has, throughout the 20th and now 21st century, become world-renowned as a place of excellent in nuclear engineering, science and manufacturing, logistic, environmental technologies and IT software development.
As a result, the town has also become renowned for its relatively high employment – certainly when contrasted with other comparative northern industrial towns.
“Such is the strength of the economy that when think-tanks and research analysts public their annual reports, Warrington is often measured against much larger cities from across the UK” the report states.
Some of the town’s industries are very specialist in nature – the nuclear industry, for instance – and account for a large percentage of high-wage local employment. Digital technology has also had an impact – many of the high-demand jobs did not exist only a decade ago.
Early signs are that Warrington’s economy has performed comparatively well during the COVID pandemic – although several businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, sadly failed because of the virus.
Warrington’s population growth was most acute during the “New Town” era of the 70s and 80s. But many of those were part of that population growth, and undoubtedly helped with the town’s economic success, are now aged over 65. Latest figures show that one in five of the population is more 65.
Projections suggest ongoing ageing of the population which will have a significant impact on the future workforce, presenting a strategic challenge for skills – in health and social care in particular.
The report adds: “Many of the jobs that primary school children in Warrington today will eventually undertake do not currently exist – this poses a strategic challenge to both the local economy and those skills providers who will educate and train the next generation.
“It is for t his reason that the council wishes to undertake a strategic review of employment skills both now and in the future to secure the economic success of Warrington for decades to come.”
In order to ensure the review has the right level of dedicated focus, the council is secure the support of an external consulting firm with a successful track record of undertaking strategic reviews of skills needs for a local economy.
An independently chaired skills board will also be established, with representatives from both large and small businesses, education and skills providers, the voluntary sector, the Chamber of Commerce and the council.
This board will co-ordinate the gathering of evidence and oversee the production of the final report and associated recommendations.
