Skills development takes centre stage at Chamber conference

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce logo

The importance of skills for the future development of Greater Manchester businesses will be the focus of a half-day conference being organised by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) on 21 January.

The event, at the Midland Hotel in Manchester city centre, will include a high-profile line-up of speakers, who will be talking about the increasing importance of skills development and apprentices in the modern workplace. Simon Waugh, the CEO of NAS and Richard Guy, Chief Executive of Manchester Solutions, plus a number of other senior business leaders from the North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network will be hosting workshops at the event.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Chris Fletcher, Deputy Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: “The coalition Government has recently announced its plans for the future delivery of a skills strategy to help business grow. To make sure that firms can access what they need in order to develop their workforce in a more business friendly environment, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has organised this half-day conference to give companies an insight into Apprenticeships and provide information to put them ahead of the field when it comes to future workforce requirements.”

Delegates will hear about the new skills landscape and access points for help. Through a series of workshop sessions, delegates will also hear from a range of business leaders who already employ apprentices and make use of other sources of practical assistance to give their business the competitive edge.

The conference is the first in a series of “Action for Business” conferences being organised by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce in 2011. Future topics will include Finance and Investment, International Trade and Transport.

The event will take place from 9am-12.30pm on 21 January at the Midland Hotel. For further information and to book a place please contact the events team on 0161 233 2660 or email: victoria.kerr@gmchamber.co.uk