Representatives from the region’s businesses joined the education sector at East Midlands Chamber’s People and Skills Conference 2025 on 24th June at Loughborough University.
Held in partnership with Loughborough University and West Nottinghamshire College, and sponsored by Futures, the conference sought to pinpoint opportunities for skills reform to support business growth through a series of talks and workshops.
East Midlands Chamber Director of Policy and Insight Richard Blackmore chaired panel discussions at the conference. Speaking afterwards, he said: “Filling vacancies is a key ingredient to economic growth but 6 out 10 East Midlands businesses reported, in our latest Quarterly Economic Survey, that they’ve struggled to find candidates that meet their requirements. If we’re going to fix the skills gap and get people into roles that can hit the ground running, we need to engage with both employers and educators and find ways to get meaningful results.
“The East Midlands People and Skills Conference gets decision makers from both those worlds together in one place and the discussions that took place highlighted areas that can be progressed – identifying effective EDI initiatives, approaches to recruitment for those in education and retention of talented people. These are conversations we can build on to get more people into work and drive growth.”
Loughborough University Professor in Work Psychology Prof Eva Selenko was the keynote speaker and gave a talk on research into the issues that underpin youth unemployment. Speaking after the conference, she said: “Getting business and educators together is enormously important. As an education provider, our goal is to get students into good jobs. It’s a broad topic where we can share our academic knowledge, not just teaching expertise and it’s fantastic that I was able to speak today.
“Services are changing constantly, apprenticeship options change and some opportunities are fewer than they were, so sometimes young people cannot find their way through the maze of service provision. There can also be mental health issues among young people that can hinder them in setting goals and finding education or staying in it, or showing the resilience needed when getting a job, for example. There are a multitude of factors to face and we need to work together with businesses to solve them.”
West Nottinghamshire College SEND Employability Manager Louise Dakin gave a talk on developing inclusive recruitment practices through supported internships. Afterwards she said: “Bringing businesses and educators together encourages collaboration, relationship-building and sharing of best practice with local communities in mind.
“Prioritising EDI is not just about fairness; it encourages businesses to think more creatively about their recruitment practices and attracts a wider talent pool – one which creates adaptability, accessibility and fosters change whilst building a stronger, diverse workforce.
“The college is committed to supporting our local employers and has delivered successful initiatives and partnerships through offering supported internships, and it was great to showcase this to the business community at the conference. These programmes enable young people with additional needs – often those furthest away from the labour market – to move into sustainable employment and allows businesses to recruit talented, reliable employees.”
Futures Head of Business Development & Partnerships Chris Grocock took part in a panel on recruitment, retention and productivity. Speaking afterwards he said: “This event has been so important – it’s a place that brings together employment and skills providers with the world of business – universities, colleges, independent training and employment providers like us.
“It’s really important that we get to meet with businesses, that we get to explain the offer that’s out there and really tackle some of the fundamental policy issues, hopefully leading to good recommendations, initiatives and things that can bring providers and businesses together. We’re delighted to have been here today.”
L-R Chris Grocock (Futures), Carol Dixon (Derby College), Eileen Perry MBE DL (ER Recruitment), Prof Eva Solenko (Loughborough University)
ER Recruitment Founder and Managing Director Eileen Perry MBE DL was on the panel looking at retention and recruitment. Afterwards she said: “The missing link in getting people into work is businesses not really looking at transferable skills. People are still looking for a skilled workforce, whatever the sector might be. Businesses should be promoting themselves as an employer of choice. There’s a lot of choice for people with jobs and it remains a candidate-driven market.
“The first thing people do is look on somebody’s website and how businesses promote their product and services they provide, what’s it like as a place to work, what training is offered and how they celebrate success. Getting businesses and educators together, as has happened at this conference, is so important and I feel there’s a greater appetite for that these days.”
Skills and Employment Support Managing Director and Founding Partner of the Product Excellence Partnership Gareth Thomas gave a talk on Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs). Afterwards he said: “It’s absolutely critical to bring businesses and training organisations together, whether they be further education organisations, independent training providers, colleges or universities. It’s fantastic that a conference like this provides the opportunity to bring them together in a meaningful way.”
West Nottinghamshire College Vice-Principal for Communications, Engagement and Student Experience said: “The college is very keen to work with local businesses and the skills conference was the ideal opportunity for us to make those all-important connections. At a time when many businesses tell us they are struggling to recruit good, loyal staff, it is vital they have a full understanding of the range of support on offer to help them expand their recruitment pool through programmes such as supported internships. The conference gave us the perfect platform to do this.”
Speakers & Panelists at the 2025 East Midlands Chamber People and Skills Conference:
- Prof Eva Selenko – Professor in Work Psychology & Head of the Work & Organisation Group, Loughborough University
- Sam Grogan – Pro-Vice Chancellor, Loughborough University
- Veronica Moore – Director of Student Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), Loughborough University
- Dr Gareth Thomas – Managing Director, Skills and Employment Support Ltd
- Dawn Whitemore – President, East Midlands Chamber
- Richard Blackmore – Director of Policy and Insight, East Midlands Chamber
- Harsh Shah – Data Analytics Manager, East Midlands Chamber
- Eileen Perry MBE DL – Founder and Managing Director, ER Recruitment
- Carol Dixon – Director of Employer Partnerships, Derby College
- Joanne Tilley – Executive Director, Corporate Services, emh Group
- Jonny Maberley – Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability Apprentice, Ideagen
- Chris Grocock – Head of Business Development & Partnerships, Futures
- Louise Dakin – SEND Employability Manager, West Nottinghamshire College
- Joseph McGeown – Capita Public Service
