Slough Borough Council

The Slough Skills Summit 2007

Local Talent : Global Success - Developing tomorrow’s skills for today’s business

On 29 November 2007 nearly 100 Slough-based employers and providers came together for the first Slough Skills Summit.

The Summit aimed to boost the competitiveness of organisations based in Slough by helping them to attract, retain and develop skilled people. Featuring the results of a major new research report into the skills needs of over 500 local organisations, the event also focused on identifying skills gaps in the local area and generating ideas for how to close them.

Keynote speaker John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said: “I applaud this initiative which is precisely the sort of partnership I want to see developed in areas across the country. It will transform the skills landscape in Slough and bring a dynamic approach to boosting skills to enable the area to compete more effectively in the future.  As a country, we need to ensure that the skills and talents of everyone are developed throughout their lives to build us a world-class workforce and ensure the UK meets the challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy.”

Fiona Mactaggart MP launched the conference by saying: “The people of Slough want to play their part in helping local companies to succeed. Then they will benefit from the prosperity which business success brings. That is why we are studying the real needs of local business so that we can develop a distinctive Slough approach to the needs of business and of local people. We aim to help local people to acquire the skills demanded by globally competitive companies. This initiative brings together business, training providers and representatives of the community. Together we plan to ensure that people in Slough have access to training so they can play their part in the success of business in the town and so that companies do not suffer the skills shortages which can limit their success.”

The Summit also featured presentations from O2 and Wexham Park Hospital on how they have developed the skills of their workforces.

The research report featured in the Slough Skills Summit is available below to download within the heading, Employers - Benefits of training your staff.

The Slough Skills Summit was made possible by Fiona Mactaggart MP, Slough Borough Council, SEGRO, Learning and Skills Council, SEEDA, Slough Business Community Partnership, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, East Berkshire College, RIM, Thames Valley Enterprise, Thames Valley University, O2, Ipsen, Logicalis, John Crane and Equinix.