Skills Roundtable addresses the needs of Sheffield and South Yorkshire, now and for the immediate future

Organised by Make UK, and hosted by Sheffield College, the roundtable will include representatives from business, local government, the elected South Yorkshire Mayor's office, educational institutions and voluntary organisations in the city, as well as representation from the business community in Leeds and the University of York.

The roundtable will take, as a focal point, the recent report on Learning and Skills, led by former education and secretary David Blunkett – now Lord Blunkett - who took his postgraduate Teaching Certificate, experiencing teaching in practice, at Sheffield College.

The roundtable will begin with an update on the development of the Local Skills Improvement Plan for the area, in which the city's Chamber of Commerce has been collaborating with interested parties, crucial education institutions and private providers to identify where gaps need to be urgently filled and what the landscape will look like in the years ahead.

Lord Blunkett said: “Getting collaboration across all sectors and organisations who have an interest in education and skills will be vital in identifying the rapid change - including in Artificial Intelligence and robotics – in the skills needed for tackling climate change and moving to net zero, and ensuring that opportunity exists from immediate post-16 training, apprenticeships, and relevant education.

“Feeding into the work being undertaken to develop City Goals – to which all partners in the city can sign up – and making the Improvement Plans a reality on the ground is vital for a successful city and city region in the years ahead."