GRO2 (PP) - Delivering skills and talent development

The City will provide an accessible environment for high quality lifelong learning so that all of its residents have the opportunity to access learning to develop their skills and talents in order to progress in their working lives and develop their careers, contributing to the realisation of Plymouth’s economic potential. In particular:

1. Develop, attract and retain a highly skilled and adaptable workforce by:
   1. Enhancing the education, skills, and learning opportunities, so as to to improve the economic potential and outcomes of our workforce by working to strengthen the partnerships between the city's education institutions, communities and employers to match skill levels with demand.
   2. Effectively matching skills with demand by enhancing 'advice, employability matching and mentoring' schemes, so as to maximise employment outcomes and reduce skills gaps for employers.
   3. Driving entrepreneurship and promoting management excellence, so as to maximise business competitiveness and productivity.
   4. Encouraging recruitment, retention and development of all sections of society.
2. Enterprise and innovation will be driven by:
   1. Supporting the removal of barriers to innovative development, training, growth and expansion, business start-up and advice.
   2. Monitoring, communicating and supporting sector specific skills gaps and their interventions.
   3. Growing, attracting and retaining STEM talent, and increasing the proportion of STEM qualifications in the city so as to match significant demand. 
3. People will be helped to prepare for and progress in work by:
   1. Streamlining and co-ordinating high quality training and education courses to ensure there is a fair and relevant city-wide offer.
   2. Improving learner access to employability skills and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.
   3. Improving learner access to core skills, including English, Mathematics, ICT, green, interpersonal, life/social, relationships and customer skills.
   4. Providing pre-vocational targets for people who can't meet academic targets and providing support to enable those with additional needs to prepare for and progress in work.
4. Learning environments will be provided that equip people with the skills they need by:
   1. Ensuring that new school places are provided to accommodate growth in the city’s population, through a planned approach to expansion and where necessary, through identifying locations for new schools. 
   2. Developing an employer led system, to ensure the city’s skills supply matches demand and residents are productively and sustainably employed.
   3. Placing the assets, facilities, talent and expertise of the city’s higher and further education providers at the heart of business growth.
   4. Using planning powers to help address skills deficiencies and training needs, particularly in the construction industry and to support STEM skills development where appropriate.