Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has today reaffirmed his ambitions to create the right conditions for business growth and success across the City Region and by launching the Combined Authority’s first (and biggest) business survey. He wants to hear from businesses on how they can better access and develop a skilled workforce. Recruiting, retaining and retraining high quality staff is a critical driver to securing success and growing businesses, leading to a thriving City Region economy.

Businesses need high quality staff who are committed, reliable and conscientious and who have the right skills for the job and at the right time.  With an ageing workforce across the country as a whole as well as across the City Region, together with the continual challenges brought about by advances in technology and globalisation, the ability of businesses to recruit and retain the staff they need becomes ever more challenging.

“Our future prosperity as a City Region is ultimately dependent on our ability to develop a well-qualified and highly skilled workforce.  This survey will help us to identify where our businesses need support, align investment in skills and training with skill deficits and the needs of our future economy.”

Supporting this work and aligning the skills of residents with the needs of businesses is the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Asif Hamid, LEP Chair said:

“As a large and growing employer in the City Region I know firsthand some of the challenges in attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining talent. Through our partners in the Local Growth Hub we engage with thousands of local businesses to enable them to grow and skills are a key factor for them. This survey will give us a much greater understanding on precisely what skills interventions are needed by our businesses to realise their growth potential and create more jobs for local people.”

The results of the survey will be used to inform the future commissioning of skills provision.

Cllr Ian Maher, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Lead for Skills and Apprenticeships, said:

“This is the first time we have carried out such an extensive survey, seeking the views of our business which will be used to accurately commission skills provision based on the needs of local businesses. Funding for skills is being devolved to the Combined Authority and I would encourage all businesses to complete the survey and help us to shape our commissioning priorities.”

Businesses from across the Liverpool City Region, of all sizes and from all sectors, will be asked for their views and experiences on recruiting and retaining a skills workforce, but meet their immediate needs as well as future plans. Businesses can complete the survey online.

Importantly, the survey results and final report will be shared across the City Region so that young people, adults seeking employment, parents, teachers and careers advisers are aware of the skills and attributes that are being sought by employers.