Employment & Skills

Employment and Skills is led by the Employment and Skills Board (ESB), a formally constituted sub-group of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP. It is responsible for driving the Employment and Skills Strategy and to provide strategic leadership that synchronises supply and demand for employment and skills, resulting in transformational change for current and future generations.

The Employment and Skills Board (ESB) was established in 2011 and is a formally constituted sub-group of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership Board. It is responsible for driving the Employment and Skills Strategy and to provide strategic leadership that synchronises supply and demand for employment and skills, resulting in transformational change for current and future generations.

In March 2021, the ESB published its Local Skills Report and Labour Market Analysis, setting the strategy for 2021 – 2030 for the region.

You can read the full strategy here. To see how the strategy has made a difference in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly read our CIOS Employment and Skills Directory.

Skills Deep Dives

Digital Skills: CIoS LEP along with the CIoS Digital Skills Partnership undertook a deep dive study, which identified and analysed the current scale of the digital and tech economy in Cornwall, where there are skills gaps, and investment and skills provision requirements to support the growth of the region’s economy.

You can read the full report here.

Green Skills: CIoS LEP undertook a deep dive study, which analysed the current scale of the green jobs economy, identify where there are skills gaps and where investment and skills provision is needed to support the growth of the region’s green economy

You can read the full report here.

Labour Market Information Guides

Labour Market Information (LMI) is key to understanding the employment and jobs landscape in your local area.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) commissioned the development of ten LMI Sector Guides drawing together data for Cornwall’s biggest sectors.

This information can be used to help young people make decisions about their future in Cornwall, help businesses to understand the future of their sector and to help individuals know which upskilling qualifications will be most important for their future and developing careers.

Employment and Skills programmes

As a business you may be asked to get involved with different schemes to help develop the skills within your workforce. We have created CIOS Education Landscape Index 2022 to outline the full list of skills training opportunities and included contact information for each of them. This will help you understand the different schemes you might be asked to get involved with or inform you about something new so you can take the first step to upskilling your team.

Employment & Skills Programmes

T Level Programme

T Levels are two-year, technical programmes designed with employers, to give young people the skills that industries need. From September 2020, T Level programmes will give 16 to 18-year olds a technical alternative to A levels, with one T Level programme the equivalent to 3 A levels.

From September 2020, Truro and Penwith College has offered T Levels, with programmes including Digital, Construction and Education and Childcare.

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Kickstart Scheme

The Kickstart Scheme supports employers to create six month job placements for young people aged 16-24 living in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly who are currently on Universal Credit or at risk of long-term unemployment.
Funding is available to pay for up to 100% of the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus support for set up costs and training.

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Cornwall Apprenticeships

The Cornwall Apprenticeship campaign promotes the benefits of apprenticeships to businesses. It is a partnership between the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Skills Hub and is part-funded by the European Social Fund.

An apprenticeship is a real job that combines working with studying to gain skills, knowledge and experience in a specific role. There are various levels and types of apprenticeships available, right up to degree and master’s level and Apprenticeships can also be used to upskill existing members of your team.

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SW Institute of Technology

Created in September 2019 the South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT) is a unique collaboration between a number of partner organisations, each investing in the development of state-of-the-art facilities for training in technical subjects to create Britain’s next generation of highly skilled technicians and engineers.

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The Inclusivity Project

The Inclusivity Project is a research project aiming to increase diversity, wellbeing and prosperity within small, Cornish businesses. A team led by the University of Exeter are looking into new ways that small businesses can adapt to make the most of all the untapped local talent pools, by employing more people who are ageing, who have a long-term health condition, and/or a disability.

The Inclusivity Project works alongside the Cornwall Work and Health Beacon project, extending the evidence base for inclusivity and promoting business innovation for workplace wellbeing.

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Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project

The Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to work with businesses to co-create solutions that will support them to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

This project will help the Work and Health Unit understand how to work most effectively with local areas and the SME business community, building their knowledge and evidence allowing them to scale up the good practice and replicate it to other areas of the UK.

The aim is to ensure that businesses get the right support and information at a national and local level to build business confidence and make it easier to recruit and retain people with disabilities and long term health conditions.

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Careers Hub

The Careers Hub joins the dots between education and business in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. It aims to improve careers provision across the region, by integrating careers into to the curriculum, helping to ensure students are work-ready, and with a good awareness of the careers and skills set needed to have a rewarding career

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Digital Skills Partnership

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Digital Skills Partnership (DSP) was launched in May 2019. Our DSP works alongside the National Digital Skills Partnership Board to ensure that the Government’s UK Digital Strategy is responsive to local needs. In return the local area can make the most of national opportunities, sector analysis to inform delivery, cross-government department collaboration and funding opportunities to overcome digital challenges. The role of the DSP is to work with what already exists, provide a strategic framework to maximise impact and to be “a LOUD voice” for digital skills locally and beyond.

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Building Cornwall

Building Cornwall is the ‘shop window’ for the construction industry in Cornwall. Its two main purposes are to show young people and new entrants to the sector what a rewarding career construction can offer, the routes of entry and variety of careers. And secondly to provide a focal point for Cornwall’s construction industry, encourage collaboration and sharing and building on the great things groups are already doing. Building Cornwall also aims to help grow the skills, knowledge and capacity the industry needs to meet to challenges of the ever-increasing demand for a sustainable built environment in Cornwall.

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Employment and Skills Board Strategy

The Employment and Skills Board for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is pleased to publish its updated Local Skills Report and Labour Market Analysis, covering the period 2022-2030.

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