An ambitious plan to address economic inactivity and skills shortages in the county is being proposed by Somerset Council.
The 4-year project – Somerset Can – aims to build a buoyant, resilient workforce that can thrive in the Somerset’s growing economy.
The county is home to a number of major investments, including the future Agratas battery plant at the Gravity Enterprise Zone, Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, Leonardo and many more growing businesses which create work and training opportunities for the people of Somerset.
Somerset Can will provide support at all stages of the employment journey, from creating ambition for the young, to helping residents enter education, training and employment, and enabling people already in work to move their careers forward making sure local opportunities are seized by local people.
The Council will work with partners to make sure the local labour market stays strong and can provide a steady pipeline of talent to support growth across Somerset’s wider economy.
While major investments create jobs and growth, they can also put additional pressure on the labour market where there are not enough skilled people locally to fill the vacancies. Existing local businesses could also experience skills shortages if skilled people move jobs.
By investing in the current and future talent locally, Somerset Can would reduce the risk that job opportunities created by major investments will be filled by non-local labour and at the same time help existing businesses access skilled staff.
Leader of Somerset Council, Councillor Bill Revans, said:
Somerset has a track record in securing major national infrastructure and global investments which offer huge opportunities for local residents, businesses, and the current and future workforce. Our role as a Council is to make sure those chances are realised and our communities benefit.
Such major Investments create real prospects for Somerset but can also create pressures where there are capacity issues. It is therefore vital we find ways to avoid any negative effects on our economy, businesses and residents. Somerset Can is design in a way that will deliver positive change across our entire economy.
Somerset’s jobless figures are below the national average at 3.6%. But figures also show that around 1 in 5 working-age residents are not economically active. The county also has a relatively high number of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).
Somerset Can, funded by central government, is based on 3 themes that reflect different stages of the lifecycle of workforce development:
- Dream – Raising ambition and aspirations at primary and secondary school level
- Grow – Supporting entry into education, training and employment, targeting 16 to 18-year-olds, NEETs, and parents and employers
- Thrive – Enabling progression, retention and workforce sustainability. This will be aimed at employers, people in work or those seeking employment
Each theme will have targeted support, designed and delivered with key partners and stakeholders to offer a comprehensive, focused responses to particular issues facing the labour market in Somerset, such as providing resources to local schools, mentoring for young people and revitalised employment hubs network across Somerset to help people find the advice and support they need to find work.
The proposals are due to be considered by Somerset Council’s Climate, Environment and Place Scrutiny Committee on 3 September, followed later in the month by the Gravity Enterprise Zone Executive Sub-Committee.
