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Skills Advisory Panel (SAP)

Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) help Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) fulfil their local leadership role in the skills system by helping them understand their current and future skills needs and labour market challenges. Local partnerships aim to strengthen the link between public and private sector employers, local authorities, colleges and universities. They reflect the geography of the Local Industrial Strategies and are led by the local body leading on the area’s Local Industrial Strategy.

The Heart of the South West has a long history of joint working and collaboration around skills and employment matters. As such, the area benefits from both a long-standing commitment to joint working and collaboration on skills matters between business, providers and public sector partners, with extensive experience in taking forward shared projects and ambitions.

Read our Local Skills Report

The Skills Advisory Panel was launched in 2019 and marks an evolution and acceleration of skills and employment activity within the Heart of the South West. The SAP has provided an opportunity for local partners commitment to working together to advance skills delivery and achievement and to align behind key opportunities and needs. The Heart of the South West Local Skills Report was launched on 31 March 2021.

The Skills Advisory Panel supersedes the HotSW People Leadership Group, which was formed in 2014, which brought together public, private and business representative to agree on shared skills and employment objectives for the area’s Strategic Investment Plan, and direct the emerging European Social Fund and FE Capital Programmes. With partners active in developing and implementing a range of programmes and shared projects across the area.