Page 28 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan

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The CfERH will also work with professional bodies and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to ensure that structured education and training programmes for doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, allied healthcare professionals, paramedics, optometrists, social care staff and any other relevant professional groups devising or delivering care to our rural communities are available to equip them with the skills and knowledge to deliver high quality care in rural areas.
3.1.10 Technology Enabled Care Services
The Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative is leading on the development of a Telehealth Strategy for Mid Wales which will introduce new ways of delivering care with digital technologies. This will include establishing of Bronglais General Hospital as a centre for excellence in telehealth for Mid Wales.
3.2 Skills Requirements in the Aspirational Economy
There remain a number of significant skills challenges with aspirational economy that are not sector specific, in particular when referring to skills shortage vacancies the lack of specialist skills is of particular concern. ‘The stand out skill shortage was a lack of specialist skills or knowledge needed to perform the job role. This was mentioned as being, at least in part, the cause of almost two thirds of skill shortage vacancies (64 per cent)’57
There is a requirement to ensure that new entrants to the economy hold not only the technically required roles but also the employability skills required by employers. ‘The skills employers find most lacking in uni- versity and college leavers are a mix of job-specific skills and general employability-related skills; a majority also cite lack of work experience.’58
A significant challenge facing higher education both within the region and the UK is the divergence of grad- uates into other subject areas, creating higher level skills shortages, including STEM. ‘While as many as 27% of current higher education students are on courses related to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), there may be a blockage in the talent pipeline: it appears that many are choosing to eschew current paths in industries with a high density of skills shortages.’59 This is a concern for the region when combined with the challenges faced by existing skills migration and an increasing requirement for higher skilled workers within the regions’ STEM related industries.
3.3 Sector Analysis within the Aspirational Economy 3.3.1 Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
Please see Sectors at a Glance for full illustration.
57 Employer Skills Survey 2015:UK Results – UKCES 2016
58 Supply and demand for higher level skills – Universities UK - 2015 59 Supply and demand for higher level skills – Universities UK - 2015
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Aspirational Economy