The East Midlands Combined County Authority’s (EMCCA’s) Adult Skills Conference brought together local authorities, learning organisations and sector partners to shape the future of adult skills and workforce development across the region.
The event, held in Chesterfield yesterday, 26 November, saw a fantastic turnout, reflecting the shared commitment to improving skills provision and creating real employment opportunities for residents.
The conference focused on aligning skills provision with economic needs, sharing best practice, and strengthening collaboration across the adult-skills ecosystem.
Key discussions highlighted current challenges such as skills gaps, workforce shortages, business engagement, and community learning needs, as well as opportunities created by devolution and local control of skills funding.
EMCCA confirmed its ambition to build a coherent, employer-informed, future-ready skills offer across the region.
Collaboration between councils, colleges, independent learning organisations, and employers was emphasised as central to delivering a more responsive and inclusive skills system.
The event also aimed to reinforce EMCCA’s leadership role in shaping the regional skills agenda, generate stakeholder buy-in for upcoming programmes and capture insights to inform ongoing delivery, policy and commissioning.
Published on: 27 November 2025
Categories: News, Skills and Employment