Skills strategy welcomed by business lobby group

The three-year plan was backed by Tynwald earlier this month

Moves to tackle skills gaps in the Manx workforce are "good news" for employers, a business lobby group has said.

The Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the political backing of a three-year skills strategy, which was approved by Tynwald last week.

The chamber said it had written to Chief Minister Alfred Cannan in January last year about difficulties recruiting skilled employees across several sectors.

Chief executive Rebecca George said the strategy was needed to support current firms to "transition" to new ways of working and ensure the workforce can keep learning throughout their careers.

'Relearning and upskillind'

Ms George is one of three chamber members on the government's skills board, which is made up of civil servants, education providers and business representatives.

She said the business lobby was keen to continue to offer support with the strategy, "especially in relation to gathering industry data and identifying future skills needs".

The three-year plan outlines four key targets, to commit to lifelong learning, to create diverse talent, to engage with employers and to take action informed by data.

Although the document was approved by members, concerns were raised that it did not take into account the future changes in workforces that may come about due to artificial intelligence (AI).

However, those changes were something Ms George said the skills strategy could prepare firms for.

"With AI hurtling towards us, the need for unlearning, relearning and upskilling will be a key factor in future life and work," she said.

"We need to support current businesses and employees to transition and ensure that those joining the workforce, or currently in education, can keep their learning and skills topped up throughout their careers," she added.