Since its launch in 2020, the Centre for the New Midlands has been expanding to support its mission of developing and sharing new ideas to enrich the lives of the regions citizens and to enhance political discourse.
In order to help shape a “better” West Midlands, this can only be achieved through its people, which is why we have included a new workstream, People and Skills. The workstream acknowledges the important role that people play in achieving the region’s ambitions and the complexities of marrying up the ambition and skills of people to those of the region, to support economic growth and make the region an even better place to live and work.
The initial focus of the workstream will be to consider the impact of greater devolution and the opportunity this creates to tackle issues such as social mobility, creating a talent pipeline aligned to emerging needs, support for older workers and addressing sector needs, skill shortages and the importance of agility in adapting to the changing nature of work.
We are delighted to introduce the Leadership Board for our People and Skills workstream, chaired by Megan Cooper (Serco). All of our members bring a vast range of experience and expertise to their areas of specialism and have a strong desire to see the region develop and prosper.