A concerted drive to improve employability skills is set to deliver a step change in Derbyshire as the job market continues to evolve.

The focus on essential transferable skills, such as communication, team-working and problem-solving, will ensure that new entrants to industries in the D2N2 sub-region are ‘work-ready’ and that existing workers can adapt to – and thrive in – new roles.

The initiative, which has attracted support from the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), is vital in an area where the economy is diverse and constantly changing. Education providers such as DCG are now working closely with employers to create a more harmonised system of essential skills development and recognition, which will include microcredentials and digital badges.

The plan is to:

• establish a D2N2 Employability Passport that recognises individual achievement of key essential skills in a way which holds genuine value with industry
• launch a Virtual Learning Environment Platform to support a standardised approach to essential skills development
• create universal learning materials available to all education partners in the area
• map the curriculum to the essential skills needed by key economic sectors

By creating a bespoke employer-driven essential skills programme aligned to each sector, it is hoped to provide bridges for workers to access higher levels of learning. It is also envisaged that the project will help futureproof the regional workforce ahead of the anticipated impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in different employment sectors.

At the same time, emphasis will be placed on engaging under-represented groups in an area that includes some of the most deprived communities in the country for employment and education. The project will therefore be delivered through both a shared virtual space and in specific locations which are identified as experiencing high levels of exclusion.