Teaming up to tackle skills crisis

A collaboration between Chesterfield’s public, private and education sectors is set to roll out two initiatives that seek to address skills shortages within the construction industry.

enhance their career prospects. We pair functional business skills from our degree programmes with digital skills that are in high demand to make sure our students stand out in the job market.”

Increasingly, Nottingham University Business School degrees integrate market-leading digital systems across the course so that students become familiar with the types of systems they are likely to use in the workplace.

‘Designed to help digitally futureproof our students’

The Digital Centre of Excellence now means students from across the university can gain globallyrecognised professional qualifications relevant to their intended careers, building competencies in high-demand technologies such as AI, machine learning and data analytics.

A SAP Next-Gen Lab will be the first partner presence in the centre. Students will be able to use SAP software, and SAP customers will be able to tap into a digitallyliterate talent pool to support their transformations into best-run, intelligent enterprises.

Julian Bond, head of ICT at Nottingham-based blinds manufacturer Hillarys, said it was an “exciting initiative for business as it equips graduates with highlyprized SAP and Microsoft skills”, which he believes have been neglected by the higher education sector over the past decade.

The Careers Made in Chesterfield and Construction Skills Hub initiatives were showcased at the annual Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference, organised by Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, and held at The Winding Wheel Theatre in February.

Careers Made in Chesterfield, currently being piloted with Parkside Community School, aims to deliver careers support and guidance in schools, and also forge links with local construction and property businesses.

Already, the initiative is reporting increased interest in construction careers from the pupils involved with the pilot, and there are plans to roll it out to more schools and sectors from September, subject to funding.

The new Construction Skills Hub, in Mastin Moor, is funded via the Staveley Town Deal and will welcome learners from this autumn.

It will provide training in site and bench joinery, brickwork, groundworks and electrical installation, but in time the offer will expand to include training in retrofit and green technologies. The hub will be open to school leavers and other residents seeking to train or retrain. Chesterfield College, with support from the University of Derby, has been appointed to deliver the training, which will take place on a live housing development overseen by Devonshire Group.

Councillor Amanda Serjeant, deputy leader of the council and Destination Chesterfield vice-chair, said: “We’re proud to support and strengthen partnerships between businesses, education, and the public sector, by bringing together these sectors we can help ensure that young people receive the training and support they need to develop great careers in Chesterfield. This is all about ensuring that our borough continues to thrive and that the quality of life for local people is improving.”

In the East Midlands, an extra 17,500 construction workers will be needed from 2023-2027, an annual requirement of 3,500 new workers every year.

Businesses and schools that wish to register their interest in the Careers Made in Chesterfield initiative should contact Emily Williams, skills delivery officer at Chesterfield Borough Council, on 01246 959717.