Lord Leitch’s recently published report, 'Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills' states that:
"In the 21st Century, our natural resource is our people - and their potential is both untapped and vast. Skills are the key to unlocking that potential. The prize for our country will be enormous - higher productivity, the creation of wealth and social justice... Without increased skills, we would condemn ourselves to a lingering decline in competitiveness, diminishing economic growth and a bleaker future for all."
It is imperative for Nottinghamshire’s future prosperity that the skill levels of both adults and young people are raised.
The need to have a collective focus on improving skill levels is critical to the future prosperity of the county and building a more knowledge based and prosperous economy. Raising skill levels requires collective action by the LSC, employers, individuals, providers, and local partnerships.
Whilst overall Nottinghamshire performs well in respect of education and skill levels, it is 22 out of 53 sub regions nationally on its overall skills and qualifications score. However this masks some significant disparities within the county.
Rushcliffe has the second best skills and qualification levels amongst 408 districts in Great Britain with half the population with NVQ4 and above, Ashfield ranks 382 out of 408 districts with a low share of residents who are highly qualified and a large share in ‘skills poverty’.
The percentage of the working age population qualified below NVQ2 ranges from 44.4% in Ashfield, 40.7% in Bassetlaw and 39.8% in Mansfield to 14.6% in Rushcliffe. The Great Britain average is 33.3%.
