On 28th January 2016 Carlisle held a Carlisle Skills and Economy Summit at Carlisle College. This partnership and stakeholder event highlighted the challenges and opportunities arising from £90 billion investment within the Nuclear Sector, as well as a range of other major projects planned across Cumbria – as outlined by Cumbria Local Partnership and key local institutions. Key speakers highlighted the potential impacts and opportunities for Carlisle and Cumbria, whilst also outlining the future skills requirements across a range of sectors in order to meet the projected demand. Presentations were followed by a high profile panel discussion, which debated how Carlisle will respond
Carlisle College students followed the event, by showcasing the range of their skills, by designing (with support from Carlisle Food City partners), creating and cooking a locally grown and produced lunch. Letters of thanks were sent to each of the students for the role they played in the event and will be used as part their portfolio development.
The Government Minister of State for Skills, Nick Boles MP also attended the event and provided an address to the audience on the skills agenda. Nick praised the event, efforts of the student and asked that images from the event were share with him – assisting in putting Carlisle on the map.
The event raised awareness of the issues and challenges in meeting the future needs of employers in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce and was well received with a number of positive comments and suggestions for outcomes moving forward.It also began to engage a wide range of stakeholders in the debate and has been a catalyst for getting the issue of skills on the agenda at a series of subsequent meetings and events held by partners such as Carlisle Ambassadors, Chamber of Commerce and Digital Carlisle Group.