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Business-Led ‘Road Map’ Launched To Boost Hampshire’s Workplace



A three-year, business-led ‘road map’ has been launched to narrow skills gaps in the workplace, spotlight training opportunities including for NEETs and boost Hampshire’s regional economy.


Commissioned by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in partnership with firms, education providers, policymakers, charities and the public sector, the Hampshire and The Solent Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) 2026-29 builds on detailed research to identify four top priorities for action.


These are summarised as: a more responsive and inclusive ‘skills ecosystem’; more support for workforce ‘progression and transitions’; stronger awareness and access for employers and residents alike; and deeper employer participation.


Ross McNally, Hampshire Chamber Chief Executive, said:

“The LSIP is deliberately employer-focused to ensure that skills training works better for businesses of all sizes and sectors. In the research stage, employers - especially SMEs - consistently told us they want a skills system that is easy to access, flexible and has the capacity to enable genuine employer participation opportunities rather than simple engagement.”

NEETs, the widely recognised acronym for young people typically aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training, face particular barriers to acquiring skills and participating in work, the LSIP research report found.


Issues cited include youth disengagement driven by lower confidence, higher anxiety, limited networks and reduced access to early work experience.


In Hampshire, 35.2% of young people are at risk of becoming NEET, well above the national average of 28.2%, highlighting the scale of vulnerability across the region.


Under the government’s rollout of LSIPs nationally, Hampshire Chamber is the official ‘employer representative body’ (ERB) for Hampshire and The Solent.


The new plan strengthens the delivery of priorities and foundations set out in two previous LSIPs, one covering the Solent, the other focused on the ‘Enterprise M3’ area across north Hampshire and Surrey.


Following publication of a white paper on post-16 education and with guidance from government agency Skills England, all 39 ERBs were required to develop a second round of three-year LSIPs this summer.


Based on the research report produced for Hampshire Chamber by consultants and analysts Lichfields, the new LSIP for Hampshire and The Solent is designed to be a unifying strategy in response to changing economic conditions and labour market pressures.


Lichfields found that the region now supports almost one million jobs, having added 31,300 jobs since 2023, with strongest growth in Portsmouth and Southampton. At the same time however, labour market participation has actually weakened over the past three years relative to the whole population.


Employment has fallen by 8,100 people, unemployment has risen to 3.2% and economic inactivity has increased significantly. Barriers include caring responsibilities, youth disengagement, early retirement among skilled workers, a weaker jobs market and greater exposure to external economic shocks.


Factors directly influencing skills gaps in all sectors include shortages of digital capability, leadership, essential employability skills and green skills.


“The new three-year plan is a road map for the next phase of LSIP delivery,” Ross McNally explained.

“The strategy highlights the major sector opportunities and challenges we face including in our core clusters of maritime, defence, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, creative industries and health and social care."

“The creative industries, for example, contribute over £900 million in GVA, while marine and maritime support 20,000 jobs and £1.7 billion in economic output. Logistics employs 27,000 people, with the Solent Freeport expected to create 15,000 additional jobs."

“Across all sectors, improving workforce participation, business capability and access to flexible skills provision will be critical to achieving and sustaining regional growth."

“Trends analysed in the report underline the need for a skills ecosystem that drives productivity while also widening participation. An expansion of the employment base must be matched by efforts to unlock local talent, reduce barriers to work and support employers to recruit, retain and grow their workforces."


"That means building and maintaining strong skills development pathways between education providers and employers. We must also recognise and address demand-side barriers which influence businesses confidence, capability and flexibility to recruit."


“Our LSIP report makes clear that we need to strengthen capability across the workforce. Financial literacy, leadership and entrepreneurial confidence are among the essential foundations for improving resilience and productivity especially among our SMEs and micro-businesses. This is particularly important in a region such as ours where 88% of businesses employ fewer than ten people."


To read and download the Hampshire and The Solent LSIP report, visit Hampshire LSIP Skills Channel | HCOC LSIP

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  • Aug 18, 2023
  • 2 min read

Ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final on Sunday which sees England play Spain, The Royal Parks charity has announced it will be creating a new natural grass hybrid pitch in Regent’s Park. The new pitch will enable the number of girls’ football teams playing in the Regent’s Park Youth League to treble from 32 to 110 teams by 2026.


The pitch has been made possible thanks to a grant of £380k from the Premier League, the FA and the Government’s Football Foundation. Also contributing towards the costs are Westminster Council and The Royal Parks. Works will begin next week, and the pitch will be match-ready by the end of the year.


Regent’s Park is home to The Hub, central London’s largest and most popular outdoor sports facility, with grass pitches for a variety of sports including football, rugby, lacrosse and cricket. Offering fantastic facilities in the heart of London, The Hub is continually looking for new ways to increase participation amongst under-represented groups.


David Ellis, Sports Manager at The Royal Parks, said: “We wish the Lionesses the very best of luck this Sunday and we’re behind them all the way. They have provided a huge boost to the popularity of women’s football in this country and have really inspired more girls and women to get involved in sport."


“The Royal Parks is committed to increasing community sport, and we want to encourage people from all walks of life to become more active and healthier. In particular, we are encouraging more girls’ and women’s teams to use our football pitches. We have seen girls’ football teams grow in Regent’s Park from 0 in 2018 to 32 today. With the creation of this new pitch, we want to treble that figure and we’d like to extend our thanks to the Football Foundation for providing a grant to help us meet our aspiration."


Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Thanks to investment from the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is directing more money than ever into ensuring communities across the country have access to great places to play."


“Like every other facility the Football Foundation funds, the new hybrid pitch in Regent’s Park will provide equal access for women and girls, helping more people to enjoy all the benefits of participating in sport and physical activity.”

In 2017, The Royal Parks received a £400k donation from Sports England to trial a natural grass hybrid pitch in Regent’s Park with the aim of increasing the number of hours a sports pitch can be played on per week and improving the player experience. This was the first trial in the UK in a community setting. The outcome was extremely positive with the number of hours that could be played on the pitch doubling from 12 hours to 25 hours a week. Player satisfaction of the pitch also rose from an average of six out of ten to nine out of ten.


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