Slough Skills Summit 2007
Slough plays host to its first ever Skills Summit today. The Summit aims to boost the competitiveness of organisations based in Slough by helping them to attract, retain and develop skilled people.
Called, ‘Local Talent:Global Success, developing tomorrow’s skills for today’s business’, the event will focus on how businesses can continue to compete through the development of the skills of their people and by tapping into the wealth of talent in the Slough population. It also aims to identify skills gaps in the local area and generate ideas for how to close them.
John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, will be giving a keynote speech at the summit, along with presentations from O2 and Wexham Park Hospital on how they have developed the skills of their workforces.
Slough currently boasts more than 80,000 jobs, including some of the most highly paid in the country. However more than 40,000 people commute into the town each day to do those jobs, and 30,000 residents commute out of the town to do lower paid jobs elsewhere.
Mr Denham said: “I applaud this initiative which is precisely the sort of partnership I want to see developed in areas across the country. It will transform the skills landscape in Slough and bring a dynamic approach to boosting skills to enable the area to compete more effectively in the future.
“As a country, we need to ensure that the skills and talents of everyone are developed throughout their lives to build us a world-class workforce and ensure the UK meets the challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy.”
Fiona Mactaggart MP will be launching the conference with her views on why developing local skills is so important. She said: “The people of Slough want to play their part in helping local companies to succeed. Then they will benefit from the prosperity which business success brings.
“That is why we are studying the real needs of local business so that we can develop a distinctive Slough approach to the needs of business and of local people. We aim to help local people to acquire the skills demanded by globally competitive companies.
“This initiative brings together business, training providers and representatives of the community. Together we plan to ensure that people in Slough have access to training so they can play their part in the success of business in the town and so that companies do not suffer the skills shortages which can limit their success.”
The results of a new, major research study into the skills needs of Slough will be presented at the event. The research has been carried out with more than 500 local employers to identify and understand the main challenges local businesses face regarding skills.
Ruth Bagley, chief executive of Slough Borough Council, said: “Helping Slough’s residents by enabling them to improve their skills and encouraging businesses to get involved with training staff, will ensure Slough’s population can share in the wealth of the town.
“Many world class businesses have chosen to make their home in Slough, and we are committed to making Slough a great place to do business.
“I hope this event will raise awareness among businesses based in Slough of the potential pool of talent on their door steps, if they invested in local people.”
Bob Walding, area director for the Learning and Skills Council Thames Valley, said: “One of the main aims of this event is for Slough employers to recognise and commit to workforce development.
"The benefits are numerous and include improved staff retention rates, lower recruitment costs and higher levels of return on investment from increased productivity.
“It will also achieve higher morale from the local workforce from the recognition of the investment in their skills by their employers.”
The Slough Skills Summit has been organised by Fiona Mactaggart MP, Slough Borough Council, SEGRO, Learning and Skills Council, SEEDA, Slough Business Community Partnership, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, East Berkshire College, RIM, Thames Valley Enterprise, Thames Valley University, O2, Ipsen, Logicalis, John Crane and Equinix.
Slough Borough Council