At Rockthorn, we know that having the right people, with the right skills, is essential to the future of our business – and to the future of the region we work in.
That is why we are proud to be a Keystone Employer as part of the Norfolk & Suffolk Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
The LSIP is designed to put employers at the heart of the local skills agenda, helping ensure that education, training and workforce development better reflect the skills businesses actually need. The current three-year plan has a particular focus on areas including digital skills, net zero, technical skills and leadership and management.
For Rockthorn, this isn’t simply about having a place on a list. It is about getting involved, sharing our experiences as an employer and helping to shape the future workforce in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Bringing employers into the conversation
Our Head of Business Strategy, Fran Brown, has been attending LSIP events and recently joined other employers and organisations at a meeting at Park Farm in Hethersett.
The discussions focused on employment opportunities, including Norfolk County Council’s Connect to Work programme and Good Work Norfolk, alongside the work of organisations such as Future Projects.
Connect to Work is designed to help people facing health, disability or other barriers to employment find and stay in work, while also helping employers access a wider talent pool.
For Fran, being part of these conversations is important because businesses are seeing the challenges of recruitment first-hand.
“We know there are challenges when it comes to finding the right people with the right skills, and Rockthorn is experiencing that ourselves as we continue to recruit. But we also know there is a huge amount of talent across Norfolk and Suffolk.
“For me, being a Keystone Employer is about being part of the conversation rather than simply talking about the skills gap. If we can share what we are seeing as an employer and help influence how training and employment opportunities develop locally, then we can play a small part in creating better opportunities for both businesses and individuals.
“There were some really positive conversations at the meeting this week, and it was encouraging to see so many organisations in the room who genuinely want to make a difference. Hopefully, by working together, we can help create more opportunities for people across our region and build a stronger talent pipeline for the future.”
Creating more opportunities locally
The skills challenge is something businesses across the region are facing, but there is also a real opportunity here.
Norfolk and Suffolk have plenty of talented people, and initiatives such as the LSIP, Connect to Work and Good Work Norfolk are helping to bring businesses and those looking for work closer together.
For Rockthorn, being involved means sharing our experiences as an employer, understanding what is happening locally and helping where we can.
We are proud to be part of a network of businesses that want to see more people given the opportunity to develop their skills, find meaningful work and build a future here in our region.
There is a lot of good work happening across Norfolk and Suffolk. We’re looking forward to playing our part.