Our changing economy and society are transforming the way we learn and work. How can we widen access to employment for those missing out today? How can we help people make the most of longer working lives with access to good work? What can employers do to invest in skills for the future? How can local leadership of skills and employment help close inequalities?

Thanks to our sponsors Clarion Futures, Youth Futures Foundation, Edge Foundation and City and Guilds, we’re excited to bring together politicians, policy makers, practitioners and researchers to explore the route to better jobs, skilled workers and prosperous communities.

New for this year, we will also be hosting a Housing Zone in partnership with Communities that Work, sponsored by Abri and SNG (Sovereign Network Group). This will provide opportunities for networking across social housing, employment and skills sectors, as well as a specific focus on the role of social housing in providing skills and employment support.

Our interactive workshops will cover themes of: making employment support work locally, green skills, career change, and work and health. Keep reading for more about our morning and afternoon plenary sessions.

Morning plenary: Towards an 80% employment rate: how do we open up support to more people?

The UK has seen a rise in people leaving the labour force since the pandemic, and ONS data show that the most common reason for staying out of the labour market is now long-term sickness. Some 1.7 million economically inactive people say they want a job, including 600,000 disabled people, yet just one-in-ten out-of-work older and disabled people get help to find work each year. It doesn’t have to be this way: a step change in the scale and reach of employment support could bring the UK’s employment rate up to 80% and boost the economy by £23 billion. In this panel discussion we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities facing the employment support sector, including:

• What we know, and what we don’t, about the interplay between work and health
• What works to help people facing long-term unemployment find – and stay – in work
• Inclusive job design and what employers can learn from best practice
• The role of welfare reform and the benefits system

Afternoon plenary: Carrots, sticks and silver bullets: which way now for employer investment in skills?

Investment in skills is key to growth, productivity and resilience, as well the success of policy goals like the transition to Net Zero. The potential returns are significant, with benefits to businesses, communities and individual opportunity as well as the economy at large. Yet, employer spending on training has fallen in the past decade and people with the fewest qualifications are most likely to miss out. In this panel discussion, we’ll consider the levers Government and businesses will need to pull to meet skills needs, support a transitioning economy and drive growth. We’ll consider:

• What influences employer decisions around investment in skills and training
• How we make sure that people who normally miss out on training opportunities get access
• The role and responsibility of Government policy in incentivising investment
• How the apprenticeship levy can be reformed to achieve the best outcomes

Speakers will include