Higher Level Skills Partnership

The North West Higher Level Skills Pathfinder (NW HLSP) funded by the HEFCE as part of their employer engagement activity, has received new funding from the North West Regional Development Agency and the project has been renamed as the NW Higher Level Skills Partnership to represent the collaborative working of all the partners on this area of activity and the development of the project past the original pathfinder status. The funding from NWDA is for the period until 31st March 2011 therefore extending the current HLSP by 18 months. The project will utilise the existing model developed as part of the HLSP that is currently available for 4 Sectors (Advanced Engineering and Materials, Digital and Creative Industries, Business and Professional Services and Construction) and extend the sectors covered by the HLSP to include Energy and Environmental Technologies, Food and Drink and Biomedical. The project will also allow the development of any provision at level 4 and above including both prescribed and non-prescribed HE rather than being restricted to HEFCE funded provision as with the current work.

The NW HLSP is being led by the North West Universities Association (NWUA), as the representative body of the fourteen North West Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), in partnership with the North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Government Office North West (GONW), the Association of Colleges (AoC), the North West Provider Network (NWPN), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and the NW Regional Skills and Employment Board (RSEB). The NW Model is driven by demand and the encouragement of employer investment in skills. Therefore the model is based on two aspects: brokerage and the development and delivery of new provision which meets employer demand. The main aims of the NW HLSP are to:

• Increase demand from employers for higher level skills provision
• Increase employer engagement with skills provision in HLS providers
• Increase the capacity of HLS providers to respond to employer demand for higher level skills and embed work-force development in HE strategies
• Test the level of investment employers are prepared to contribute for development and delivery of this provision
• Disseminate best practice identified through the NW Model

Through these activities the project aims to achieve a step change in employer engagement with higher level skills. This will ensure that there is a significant increase in the proportion of the NW workforce with higher level skills and therefore an improvement in the knowledge economy of the region.

For further information on the NW HLSP and current activity please view the pages from the menu on the right hand side of this page.