The Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making Further Education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.

As part of this approach, Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) were introduced as a key part of the Government’s vision of an adult skills system where businesses are given a much stronger voice in local skills planning by working closely with FE providers, engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders and forging a stronger and more dynamic partnership that will enable provision to be more responsive to the skills needs of employers in local labour markets.

Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce and Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce are the Employer Representative Body (ERB) for the development of the LSIP for our region.

The South Midlands Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) 2.0 is the region’s three-year skills framework for 2026–2029. It is an employer-led, evidence-based plan that brings together businesses, Further Education colleges, Higher Education institutions, local authorities and wider partners to align skills provision with the real needs of the regional economy. LSIP 2.0 builds directly on LSIP 1.0 (published August 2023) and three further years of stakeholder engagement. It shifts the emphasis from diagnosis to delivery — from identifying what is wrong to implementing coordinated change.

As well as the new LSIP 2.0, links to the LSIP published in August 2023 (LSIP 1.0) and the progress reports from both 2024 and 2025 are provided below:

Stage 1 – Local Skills Improvement Plan Report – Click here to read

Stage 2 – Local Skills Improvement Plan Progress Report – Click here to read

Local Skills Improvement Plan Progress Report 2025 and view the Appendices here.

The new Local Skills Improvement Plan 2.0 – click here and Main report Annexes D-G

The LSIP is the practical skills spine of the South Midlands’ wider economic strategy, aligned with:

• The UK Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy (Invest 2035) and its eight IS-8 growth-driving sectors plus Construction and Health & Social Care (IS-8+2)
• Skills England priorities for workforce planning and technical education
• The South Midlands Get Britain Working Plan and Local Growth Plans
• Net Zero and the Clean Energy Jobs Plan

It is a key driver to:

• support local skills development and reduce skills gaps – drawing together a wide range of data, evidence and insights which, taken together, provide a clear understanding of current and future skill needs in the area
• facilitate employer engagement and investment in the skills system (such as existing workforce, Government funding, social capital, improving the skills ecosystem etc.), and co-ordinated engagement designed to give employers a better understanding of the skills system and the part they can play, giving employers a stronger voice in shaping skills provision and supporting delivery
• bring about increased (positive) impact to end users in the supply of technical education and training, from entry level upwards – with further and higher education providers working together to develop a coordinated response, including creating clear progression pathways at and between the different levels
• help inform how funding (both devolved and non-devolved) and other investment could be used to support skills priorities within an area

How to get involved

LSIP 2.0 depends on active participation from employers, providers and partners across the South Midlands. No single organisation can deliver it alone.

We want to hear from you if you are:

• An employer — share your skills needs, join an employer advisory panel, or offer flexible, modern work experience activities, a work placement to introduce and inspire at younger ages or Technical Level (T Level) placement
• A training provider — engage with sector working groups and contribute to curriculum co-design
• A local authority or strategic partner — align commissioning, adult skills funding and transport planning with LSIP priorities
• A careers or employment service — connect learners and job-seekers to the priority pathways identified in this plan

For more information or to get involved, contact us