Three education and skills experts have joined Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership to help implement the county’s Skills Investment Plan up to 2020.

The LEP’s new Head of Employment and Skills Craig Ivison is responsible for ensuring effective, collaborative partnership working to meet the skills needs of employers in the county. He is also playing a key role in ensuring that employers and training providers are ready to maximise the benefits of the new Apprenticeship Levy.

Caroline Ledward’s role as Cumbria LEP’s 16-19 NEET Manager will involve working with employers, partners and wider stakeholders to address skills issues and support direct training provision for young people not in employment, education or training.

As Sector Skills Manager Charlotte Crozier will act as a link with employers to help analyse future skills needs to ensure more local people can gain the right qualifications to remain in Cumbria to work.

The skills plan for the county, drawn up in consultation with employers and local education and training institutions, aims to improve skills levels, increasing the county’s workforce and assisting employers. It includes key targets for 2020, such as increasing apprenticeships within the county from 5,000 to 6,000 per year and the number of working age people with level 4 qualifications by 9,000.