Time to elevate your Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) to the next level

If your LSIP is just a PDF full of stats, you’ve missed the point. You’ve got the data – what does it tell you about improving skills provision and utilisation, and what can you do about it?

Ready to move from data collector to master strategist? Read on about the six power moves that will take your LSIP to the next level. 

1: Set the direction – nail the key questions and gaps in knowledge

BEFORE PLANNING YOUR LSIP – REVIEW KEY KNOWLEDGE GAPS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

• Asking smart questions is THE right way to start. Set the challenges for the LSIP to meet.

2: Avoid The Amateur Trap: Data is not Intelligence

STOP COLLECTING. START CONCLUDING. 

• The Problem: Most LSIPs are drowning in Information. Employer surveys, demographic tables, qualification counts. It’s all lagging data.
• The Fix: You need Intelligence. That means taking the stats and connecting them to a causal factor. Why is this gap here? What specific behaviour or provision is causing this market failure?
• The Mandate: Your LSIP report must tell us what the statistics mean, not just what they are. No more guesswork.

3: Level Up Rule 2: Confront the Mega-Trends

IS YOUR LSIP READY FOR 2030? (Body Text):

• The labour market is being re-written by forces bigger than an inventory of your local training provision
• A professional LSIP MUST confront the implications of the Mega-Trends:
  • Net Zero/Climate Change: What are the new skills required for your largest sectors to decarbonise? (e.g., retrofitting, battery tech, green finance).
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): Which local jobs are most exposed? Which foundational skills (e.g., critical thinking, complex problem-solving) will become the only barrier to automation?
• You must be strategically forward-looking, not historically accurate.

4: The ‘Strategy-to-Action’ Framework

TRANSLATION IS THE ONLY METRIC

• A plan is worthless without disciplined execution. The most impactful agencies use a Strategy-to-Action Framework.
• Every single priority in your LSIP must have:
  1. A Clear Owner: Who is accountable for delivery?
  2. Measurable Action: What tangible step will they take?
  3. Integrated Next Step: How does it link immediately to education provider curricula or funding bids?
• Actionable Insight: If you can’t draw a straight line from a report conclusion to a change in training provision, the conclusion is fluff.

Slide 5: Level Up Rule 3: Cultivate the Skills Community

YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH

• No organisation can go it alone. Your LSIP is not just a document; it’s a platform for partnership.
• Action: Stop relying on formal committees. Cultivate informal, high-trust relationships with key business leaders, college principals, and career service heads.
• Objective: Use the LSIP to knit the local skills system together. This provides the invaluable feedback loop needed for continuous adaptation.
• Result: Strong external ties enhance your reputation and amplify your overall impact. It’s the only enduring competitive advantage.

6: A high quality LSIP that informs policy and practice – requires some serious specialist experience and skills

HIRE PROFESSIONALS

• Successful, insightful labour market and skills analysis that identifies causality, solutions and communicates effectively requires expert execution
• Professionalism provides a clear roadmap of decisive action.
• Your LSIP is the political capital you need to sustain momentum. Use this opportunity to turn out best in class work

Do your consultants have a 20+ year track record in labour market and skills analysis, strategies and projects? We do  @ www.lsip.net

We are Mike Spicer, Hannah Lazarus and Glenn Athey. We combine our extensive experience with findings from evidence, evaluation and guidance to provide expert advice and support to supercharge your LSIP.

Our website (www.lsip.net) provides:

• The LSIP lowdown – briefing on LSIPs, what they are and how they can benefit your locality and region
• Guidance on delivering a high impact LSIP – register to access our LSIP Ultimate Guide! https://lnkd.in/e8E6aJNA
• Regular updates, news and advice

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