North West Employment and Skills Evidence Base 2008

08 July 2008

Author: Regeneris

This report has been prepared by Regeneris Consulting on behalf of the North West LSCs and NWDA and is intended to be an employment and skills evidence base which is shared by partners at a regional, sub-regional and local level.

The primary purpose of the report is to identify the critical employment and skills issues that the Single Regional Strategy and the Regional Skills Strategy will need to address. It also supplements the existing information that the LSC and other skills stakeholders and delivery partners draw on to guide their future investment planning and purchasing of skills provision. Whilst the study is concerned with identifying the key employment and skills issues facing the region, it is not concerned with setting priorities or proposing actions.

The report has drawn on the extensive evidence base which now exists within the region covering economic performance, employment and skills issues. It addresses the regional and sub-regional perspectives in particular, but it also draws out the local perspective where this is particularly relevant to regional issues. Consultations were undertaken with partners across the region to inform the analysis and assessment of key issues.

The analysis is focused primarily on explaining change over the past decade, but focusing where appropriate over the more immediate period from 2001/2 to date. It also examines the economic and employment prospects over the next 2-3 years, but also explores the
longer term prospects over the next decade.

Reference: NW_Employment_and_Skills_Evidence_Base_2008.pdf