Shaping tomorrow’s workforce, together.
Cheshire and Warrington is the most productive economy in the North of England. We’re home to world-class strengths in advanced manufacturing, life sciences, clean energy and business and professional services. But growth only works if our skills system and businesses operate in sync, and if everyone can share in the opportunities our economy creates. So the skills we build in our region are important for our future shared prosperity and sustained growth.
Read the report
Our local skills improvement plan for Cheshire and Warrington
That’s what the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) is for. Built on direct engagement with employers and businesses, it sets out key sectors in Cheshire and Warrington and what employers need from training and skills provision. It outlines the practical changes and collaboration which will make a difference over the next three years.
The plan covers five priority growth sectors: advanced manufacturing, life sciences, clean energy, business and professional services and agri-tech. It also includes two foundational sectors, construction and health and social care, alongside cross-cutting priorities in digital skills, sustainability and the visitor economy.
For employers, the LSIP means a simpler system to navigate, stronger technical pathways, and a genuine voice in shaping local provision. For training providers and residents, it means clearer routes into skilled, well-paid work, wherever you’re starting from.
Living, ongoing interface
This plan is only the start – not an end in itself. It’s the blueprint for the next three years of how we work together to shape our workforce, and will evolve through a shared focus on partnership and delivery, as set out in Annex B. This is a live interface which will be kept regularly updated and used to track progress.
Six workstreams, one Activity Plan.
Full detail sits in Annex B, the live Activity Plan for 2026–2029, delivered with Higher and Further Education, the Combined Authority, Local Authorities, the DWP and local partners. Six broad programmes structure our future activities:
Strengthening employer voice – ensuring provision is genuinely shaped by what businesses need.
Simplifying navigation for SMEs – making the system easier to find and use, especially for smaller employers.
Scaling technical pathways – growing routes at technician and higher technical level.
Embedding digital and sustainability skills – building these into provision across every sector, not as an add-on.
Connecting people to employment – widening access to good work for more residents.
Improving provider quality and teaching capacity – strengthening collaboration and ensuring training matches industry reality
Read the plan and get in touch for help navigating your skills and training needs – we’re here to help:
