Matching Skills with Demand in the London Borough of Sutton

This project is the council’s commitment to ensuring that the borough’s residents have the skills required to meet the needs of businesses and potential future growth sectors in Sutton. The priorities for growth include: the London Cancer Hub, the Sutton Decentralised Energy Network, Town and District Centre growth and particular sectors such as Life Sciences and Health and Social Care.

A broad range of organisations shape and deliver the complex skills and employment agenda. In Sutton, partners are brought together through the Sutton Economic Support Taskforce (SEST) including representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure a coordinated approach is taken in the shaping of skills and employment policies and their delivery.

Our Vision: “To make Sutton a borough where business thrives and residents have the skills to meet current and future workforce demands”

How will we achieve this?

The Sutton Skills Match Strategy (2013 to 2016) sets out a business led approach to employment and skills. The strategy sets out the priorities for raising skills levels in the borough, increasing employment and creating sustainable employment opportunities.

The high level strategic aims of the strategy are to:

• plug skills gaps and match skills with local demand
• up skill residents in preparation for future growth sectors
• ensure residents have basic employability skills
• embed apprenticeships and traineeships

Our priorities for 2016 are to:

• develop business-led skills provision
• develop capacity for health and social care
• promote apprenticeships
• support people with a mental health diagnosis

Sutton Skills Match [PDF]