"Thanks to Rolls Royce for hosting. Thanks to Asset Skills for organising.
"I'm delighted to see so many employers represented here this morning. As Minister for the East Midlands it is one of my top priorities to work with you to drive up productivity and prosperity in our region.
"Given my background you won't be surprised that when I was appointed as Regional Minister, I asked my officials how this region was getting on in relation to the Skills agenda. A region with many strengths, but also with unrealised potential was the answer.
"I am told that, as employers, you are not generally struggling to fill your vacancies with appropriately skilled staff, but that many of the jobs on offer in the region at present are at lower skilled levels and that consequently wages and productivity are lower than the national average.
"I am told that we have an excellent infrastructure of Higher and Further Education providers, but that too many of the learners who benefit from this leave the region to find higher skilled work and too many of our citizens lack basic skills. I am told that we are in the middle of the pack nationally when it comes the availability of apprenticeships and numbers signing up to the skills pledge.
"There is much in that picture of which we can be proud. But I also believe that by working together we can do even better.
"From my previous experience as Skills Minister I know that the danger on these occasions is that one "preaches to the converted". The fact that you are here this morning demonstrates that you don't need me to tell you how important it is to upskill your employees in the interests of your businesses. So I'll spare you the general messages about the vital economic and social importance of skills training for individual businesses, the region and the nation. You understand the "why" of skills training. Instead I want to talk to you about the "how". I'd like to pose two questions in my brief remarks this morning.
"First, how can we work together here in the East Midlands to seize the opportunities presented by the Government's commitment to invest in skills? The majority of Government funding for adult skills will be provided in the future through "demand led" routes, particularly train to gain. Which means that the more East Midlands employers get involved with the Train to Gain service, the more resources could be available to the region.
"So what can we do to ensure all the region's employers take advantage of what's on offer? I know that there will always be debates about the priority for Government funding - should we funding higher level qualifications, should we be funding training rather than qualifications and so on. There is room for those conversations and I will gladly have them. But the more productive conversation may be about how we can ensure this region benefits from the system as it stands.
"The second issue on which I would appreciate your views this morning is secondly, how can we work together to persuade the many employers in the region who are not yet investing enough in training to become involved. Perhaps to take on an apprentice for the first time, to sign the Skills Pledge or just to make an appointment with a skills Broker. Can you help us understand what is holding some employers back? Are you willing to help bring them on board?
"Skills will be one of my top priorities as regional Minister and I hope this morning will be the first of many occasions on which we will be able to celebrate together what has been achieved so far and work together to make further progress."
