Local skills improvement plans and designated employer representative bodies
Updated 19 September 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-employer-representative-bodies/notice-of-designated-employer-representative-bodies
In autumn 2022, employer representative bodies (ERBs) were designated to lead the development of local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) for all 38 areas of the country. Each plan provides an agreed set of actionable priorities that employers, providers and other stakeholders in a local area can get behind to drive change.
LSIPs were approved by the Secretary of State for Education in summer 2023, in line with the approval criteria set out in the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 and in accordance with the LSIP statutory guidance. In summer 2024, each area produced an annual progress report setting out:
- which of the actions or changes in the LSIP had been achieved
- the impact and benefits of those actions or changes
- what still needed to be achieved in their area
The LSIPs and annual progress reports have been published on the designated ERB websites.
All employer representative body designations came into effect on 5 September 2022, with the exception of Cheshire and Warrington, and Liverpool City Region, where the designations came into effect on 20 October 2022 and 29 August 2024 respectively.
The terms and conditions that all designated ERBs have consented to are also available.
The published LSIPs can be found on the designated ERB websites.
North-east
| LSIP specified area | Designated ERB | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| North East | North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) Limited | Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland |
| North of Tyne | North East England Chamber of Commerce | Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, North Tyneside |
| Tees Valley | North East England Chamber of Commerce | Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton on Tees |
North-west
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Cheshire and Warrington | South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington |
| Cumbria | Cumbria Chamber of Commerce | Cumbria |
| Greater Manchester | Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce | Greater Manchester Combined Authority |
| Lancashire | North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce | Blackburn and Darwen, Blackpool, Lancashire |
| Liverpool City Region | Liverpool Chamber of Commerce[footnote 1] | Liverpool City Region |
Yorkshire and the Humber
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Hull and East Yorkshire | Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce | East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull |
| South Yorkshire | Doncaster Chamber of Commerce | South Yorkshire Combined Authority |
| West Yorkshire | West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce | West Yorkshire Combined Authority |
| York and North Yorkshire | West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce | North Yorkshire, York |
East Midlands
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | Federation of Small Businesses | Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire |
| Greater Lincolnshire | Federation of Small Businesses | Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Rutland |
| Leicester and Leicestershire | East Midlands Chamber of Commerce | Leicester and Leicestershire |
| South-East Midlands | Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce (incorporating Milton Keynes Chamber) | Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire |
West Midlands
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire | Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent |
| The Marches | Shropshire Chamber of Commerce | Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin |
| West Midlands and Warwickshire | Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce | Warwickshire, West Midlands Combined Authority |
| Worcestershire | Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce | Worcestershire |
East
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce | Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority |
| Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock | Essex Chambers of Commerce | Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock |
| Hertfordshire | Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce | Hertfordshire |
| Norfolk and Suffolk | Norfolk Chambers of Commerce | Norfolk, Suffolk |
Greater London
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Greater London | BusinessLDN (previously London First) | Greater London |
South-east
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex | Sussex Chamber of Commerce | Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex |
| Buckinghamshire | Buckinghamshire Business First | Buckinghamshire |
| Enterprise M3 LEP (including all of Surrey) | Surrey Chambers of Commerce | Hampshire (excluding the districts of Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest), Surrey |
| Kent and Medway | Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce | Kent, Medway |
| Oxfordshire | Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group | Oxfordshire |
| Solent | Hampshire Chamber of Commerce | Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and the following districts in Hampshire: Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, New Forest, Southampton |
| Thames Valley Berkshire | Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group | Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham |
South-west
| LSIP specified area | Designated employer representative body | Locations covered |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | Federation of Small Businesses | Cornwall, Isles of Scilly |
| Dorset | Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Dorset |
| Gloucestershire | Business West Chambers of Commerce | Gloucestershire |
| Heart of the South West | Devon and Somerset Local Skills Improvement Plan | Devon, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay |
| Swindon and Wiltshire | Business West Chambers of Commerce | Swindon, Wiltshire |
| West of England and North Somerset | Business West Chambers of Commerce | West of England Combined Authority, North Somerset |
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Liverpool Chamber of Commerce became the designated employer representative body for Liverpool City Region on 29 August 2024. St Helens Chamber of Commerce’s designation was removed on 28 August 2024, as the body did not meet the requirements set out in section 2(1)(A) of the Skills and Post 16 Education Act due to it entering administration. ↩