Chamber chief: The real issues that Dorset must face

ONE of the major concerns I regularly hear from business owners is the challenge they experience in recruiting skilled employees. In our regular surveys, around 70 per cent of recruiting employers report difficulties in filling vacancies due to the calibre of candidates. They state the problems are particularly acute when they are seeking to fill management and professional positions. I’m too often being told of the skills gap and employers also tell us that a lack of basic skills is still a real issue within this.

When I’m talking about basic skills, as well as an adequate level of literacy and numeracy, I mean the ability to effectively communicate, work within a team and show the essential skills business owners seek such as a positive attitude to work, the importance of being professionally presented and understanding of essentials such as the importance good time keeping. These key skills are at the heart of Young Chamber, our highly successful programme linking schools and businesses to inform and motivate young people as they look towards their working lives.

In Dorset we are blessed with a stunning natural environment and climate, a prospering economy and low unemployment. However this masks some of the real issues we face. We have some areas that are amongst the worst in the UK in terms of deprivation. Our productivity as a county is also is low. The UK productivity rate is lower than the average of all the G7 major industrialised countries and in Dorset, it’s actually 10 per cent lower than the average UK rate. We also know our wage rates are below the national average and house prices are a real issue, with the average house price often above 10 times the average salary, depending on the area. This is a problem not just for residents; 25 per cent of Dorset employers regularly surveyed believe the high cost of housing is an issue in seeking to attract skilled workers in to the area and this is a real barrier to business growth. We also face the issue of an ageing working population, with 36 per cent of the Dorset workforce being aged 50-plus. It’s essential we replace these people as they retire with a highly qualified and skilled workforce if we are to improve our productivity and remain competitive in a global economy.

It’s essential that we invest in the skills of our future and current workforce to drive economic growth in Dorset. This must begin in school and continue into employment. Of course businesses need to be able to recruit qualified young people – but it’s also essential that they take responsibility for continuing to invest in the skills of their workforce. Whilst it has been fantastic to see the huge growth in apprenticeships, particularly with the recognition of apprenticeships within professional services, we still need to see many more businesses take ownership and invest in the professional development of their staff through training and schemes such as the apprenticeship programme. I see the huge investment and focus many businesses place on training – but more still needs to be done to encourage those businesses not investing in staff development.

It’s also essential we can sell ourselves both within the UK and internationally and encourage hi-tech leading global businesses to invest in Dorset and settle here. With an excellent environment and only two hours from London, we are an attractive proposition but we must of course be able to provide the skilled workers these businesses need.

In Dorset I see great examples of strong partnerships between schools, training providers and further and higher education establishments and business. It’s essential we continue to build on this to improve our productivity and ensure we have a highly skilled workforce and can compete in a global market that is becoming ever-more competitive due to the advancement of technology. But this is just the starting point and we need to encourage all businesses to recognise the importance of a skilled workforce and invest in training.