The importance of being local: reframing the role of learning and skills in the strategic development of place

There is an increasing drive towards localism in the interests of better, more responsive public services. This seminar series explored the opportunities and potential for the learning and skills sector to play a stronger role within their communities shaping and delivering local priorities in collaboration with other public services.

Leaders and opinion formers from the learning and skills sector, government departments and agencies looked at:

• balancing national and local priorities, building on the debate aired in other LSIS seminars and the results from the Total Place pilots;
• the implications for leadership in a system with a range of accountabilities; and
• scaling up ambition for the role of the sector in the strategic development of an area.

Seminar series reports

The following documents are available to download.

 The importance of being local main report (PDF, 460KB)
 Keynote presentations (PDF, 229KB)
 Seminar biographies (PDF, 849KB)
 Participant list (PDF, 146KB)

All the seminar documents can also be downloaded as a single .zip or pdf file for convenience::
 The importance of being local seminar documents (.zip, 1.6MB)

Contributors to the importance of being local seminar series

The seminar series was chaired by Lucy de Groot, former chief executive of the Improvement and Development Agency.

Seminar one: Public services, learning and skills - fit for place

Keynote presentations were:

How learning and skills can play a part in Whitehall’s localism agenda
Helen Bailey, Director, Public Services, HM Treasury

The local implications of activism
Steven Marston, Director General, Universities and Skills Group, Department for Business
Innovation and Skills (BIS)

A detailed report from the event is available.
 Seminar one report (PDF, 113 KB)

Seminar two: Leadership within a local public service coalition

Keynote presentations were:

Shaping public services in the locality – the role of citizens, customers and professionals
Lord Victor Adebowale Chief Executive, Turning Point

Whole systems thinking and action – stepping up to the challenge
Professor John Benington Institute of Governance and Public Management' University of Warwick

Using FE to improve the community
Nick Brown OBE, Principal, Oldham Sixth Form College

Seminar three: Scaling up the ambition

Keynote presentations were:

Public service transformation – the challenges for localities and for the centre
Irene Lucas CBE, Director General, Local Government and Regeneration, Department for Communities and Local Government

The potential contribution of learning and skills to local priorities – a local authority perspective
Sheila Lock, Chief Executive, Leicester City Council

A detailed report from the event is available.
 Seminar three report (PDF, 106 KB)

If you have any questions or feedback please do contact caroline.mager@lsis.org.uk