CBI dinner at Bradford – employers want consortium help for employee skills

Bradford University School of Management hosted a dinner for business leaders at their Heaton Mount Executive Education and Conference Centre to discuss education and skills issues with James Fothergill, the CBI’s policy adviser in this area.

Much of the discussion centred around the need for employers to be more involved with schools, particularly to raise career aspirations.  There was also a call for the CBI to act as a broker between employers to pool resources and make activities such as corporate undergraduate degrees both feasible and affordable.

Sarah Dixon, dean of the School of Management said:  “It is clear that employers are still committed to increasing skills in their businesses – but it has become harder to do this.  We are keen to support the CBI in this area and ensure that businesses secure a good return on their investment in employee development – whether through an in-house or consortium undergraduate business degree, executive education or our world-renowned MBAs.”

Andrew Palmer, regional director of the CBI highlighted a number of best practice examples from CBI members, such as Greggs running breakfast clubs for schools and HML helping their local school with leadership development.

James Fothergill thanked the businesses for their input into his policy development and said he was delighted to hear so many businesses helping young people with their ‘employability’ skills.

Businesses attending the dinner included Yorkshire Bank, Provident Financial, Hallmark, Vestas, thebigword, Kelda, NG Bailey, Addleshaw Goddard, Northern Lights, HML and Ernst & Young.