Message from CEO

A message from our

Chief Executive, Paul Cherpeau

Welcome to the summer edition of Well Connected, where we are focussing on skills and employability, fundamental to the growth of our city region, and supporting both our people and our places.

Over the past three months businesses have continued to operate under extremely challenging circumstances and whilst there is optimism as restrictions are lifted we should in no way assume it is “business as usual”. The latest results from British Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey are largely positive, showing the greatest improvement on key indicators since the onset of the pandemic. Despite this it is clear that we still have a long road ahead of us in the return to pre-pandemic conditions. You can read the full results of the QES on pages 4 and 5.

The impacts of Covid and Brexit will continue to have an impact, particularly for youth unemployment, creating a lag in our economic recovery that will need to be addressed. This edition of the magazine contains some great examples of how we and our members are tackling the issues around skills and employability head on, to ensure we have a sustainable and skilled workforce in the City Region through the collaboration of enterprise and education.

The importance of this collaboration is becoming increasingly apparent and more of our members are coming to us to find out how they can get involved. At our strategy event in May we focused on skills and employability, and in particular how we can bridge the gap between employment and education. Our Panel members all emphasised the importance of business in the development of education curriculums and skills development programmes. This is what will truly prepare our young people for the world of work.

We are already witnessing this first-hand through our work with our Patrons, Hugh Baird College. The college is consulting with businesses across a number of sectors including healthcare and digital maritime to determine how their curriculum can deliver what they require. Students will complete their studies with the right knowledge and skills to meet the demands of employers in their sector.

Of course it is not just the pandemic that has affected business over the last year and a half. Brexit has continued to create uncertainty and additional challenges for our members who are trading internationally. We will continue to support these businesses through our export documentation services, funding opportunities, insightful events and training courses. You can read more on pages 15 to 17.

As we seek to accurately represent the voice of Liverpool businesses throughout the coming period of economic recovery, we are pleased to be creating several Expert Panels and network specialists across our member network. These specialist groups will enable the Chamber to properly source intelligence and insights in thematic areas including skills & employability, international trade, net zero & climate change, access to finance & funding, transport & infrastructure and responsible business practice. We welcome all representation from business members to these networks which will shape our campaign activity and events programme. Please contact my team to join these networks.

Finally, we have made some changes to the way we work. We can’t wait to welcome you in person to our new offices in Bruntwood’s Cotton Exchange building and our new website provides a new window onto Liverpool Chamber’s ambitions and aspirations for our members as we move out of the pandemic.

We look forward to working with you to create a shared sense of optimism, recognising the challenges that remain but focussing on the opportunities, particularly on how we can develop our talent pool, including creating opportunities for those who are often left behind.