Business champion is to lead new skills council

May 29 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

ONE of the champions of North East business has been named chairman of the region’s new-style Learning and Skills Council.

North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Ramsbotham will take the reins in September when the four local LSCs – Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley – become a single North East regional council.

The North East LSC will be one of nine in the UK, which are charged with improving the workforce’s skills and education. It will work with trainers and employers to tackle the region’s skills shortage – something Mr Ramsbotham says will be a key part of his role.

“The skills shortage is having an effect right the way across every single sector. The speculative house building sector is seeing a big slowdown but every other sector is experiencing huge difficulties in finding quality and skilled staff,” he said.

“There are 70,000 jobs and fewer than 50,000 job seekers in the region. Every business person is trying to recruit good people.”

And he insisted businesses must play their part.

“There are a large number of business who don’t believe training is anything to do with them,” he said. “We are trying to persuade employers to be much more demanding of the skills they want. Employers must actively engage in the whole process.

“Trainers must also be more flexible. That’s where the where the LSC plays a huge part in making the system work better.”

Mr Ramsbotham was appointed chair of the County Durham LSC four years ago and at the time, he faced concerns there may be a conflict of interest between that and his role at the NECC. But he said: “There has been no conflict of interest, in fact there have been huge synergies. The skills agenda has been so key to business.”