Frequently Asked Questions

With over 340 miles of coastline, the Solent region covers the stretch of strategic coastline extending from the New Forest in the west all the way to Havant to the east, which includes the Isle of Wight.

The local authorities included within the scope of the Solent LSIP are New Forest, Southampton, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Portsmouth, Havant, and The Isle of Wight.

Given the size of the county, there are two LSIPs across Hampshire. One covers the Solent region mentioned above, and the other encompasses the Enterprise M3 (‘EM3’) areas.

It should be noted that delivery of the Solent LSIP requires collaboration with a wide range of ERBs and organisations that operate at different levels. This includes a cross-boundary partnership with Hampshire County Council (‘HCC’), as well as joined-up delivery with the neighbouring Enterprise M3 (‘EM3’) LEP (which includes all of Surrey).

It’s also essential to acknowledge that since April 2024, Government funding for Local Enterprise Partnerships (‘LEPs’) has been withdrawn. This has led to a necessity for increased cross-boundary collaboration.

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce (‘HCoC’) was designated as the employer representative body (‘ERB’) for the Solent region (incorporating the Isle of Wight) by the Department for Education (‘DfE’).

ERBs are responsible for being the mechanism to ensure local businesses’ voices are at the heart of the skills system. ERBs play a crucial role in translating the needs of local businesses and work closely with training providers and key stakeholders to develop evidence-based, credible, and actionable LSIPs.

Whilst the HCoC retains ownership of the Solent LSIP, including reporting responsibilities, its role extends beyond day-to-day management and delivery of the activities outlined below. Through its delivery, the HCoC seeks to inspire action across the broader skills ecosystem and use its influence to drive interest and leverage additional outcomes.

The Solent LSIP has been developed via a strong alliance of partners, identifying opportunities for achieving tangible progress and placing businesses’ voices at the heart of the skills plan to bridge the gap between business and education.

We are excited to work with local businesses of any size, from those who have been actively involved from the start to those who have yet to join our efforts. All are welcome from across the Solent region.

Ultimately, we aim to drive comprehensive buy-in across the ecosystem, fostering a unified approach to skills development and economic growth.

This LSIP is an ambitious call for action for us all and seeks to address persistent skills challenges across the Solent.

We invite you to learn more about the LSIP from your own perspective by exploring our resources and sector reports and then engaging with us to discover how you can contribute to these priorities.

As we enter the implementation stage (Phase Two), we will continue building partnership activity to address the 6 LSIP priorities. We will also undertake further deep-dive analyses to identify more sector-specific skills gaps in the following areas:

If you are interested in one of these areas and want to get involved, please email us at lsip@hampsirechamber.co.uk.

Businesses and SMEs have a unique opportunity to input and develop LSIPs, giving employers, through the representative bodies, a clearer, more direct role in explaining the priorities for change and shaping skills provision in a structured way.

Its ability to inspire action across the wider ecosystem is critical to the success of the Solent LSIP to date. In many instances, the Solent LSIP has been the catalyst for industry-led action by the broader environment.

Supported by the LSIF, colleges and other training providers are empowered and incentivised to flex their activities to meet the skills needs that employers articulate. Equally, employment sectors are pioneering innovative methodologies to close skills gaps and future-proof the local workforce. For example, businesses are co-designing and delivering learning modules.