The esp is committed to working together to drive action to achieve the common vision:
"more people in to better jobs in better businesses".
The new RES “a flourishing region” has three main themes – Raising Productivity, Ensuring Sustainability and Achieving Equality. The updated esp strategy for action directly responds to two of these themes – Raising Productivity and Achieving Equality.
The esp has four priority areas for action to support these themes, as the table below shows. While we recognise a reduction in the number of esp priority actions, we feel this will enable greater focus, leading to increased impact in these areas. This reduction also reflects the significant amount of esp activity which has now become mainstream and occurs as ‘business as usual’ within the partner organisations; thereby creating opportunities for the esp to respond to new regional and sub-regional challenges.
Our priorities should not be seen as too rigidly structured, as they are inter-related and reinforce one another. For example, although increasing participation and attainment among 14-19 year olds is set out under the Achieving Equality theme, succeeding in this area will not only reduce exclusion, but also improve the skill levels of the future workforce, thus supporting the Raising Productivity theme.
RES themes |
Raising Productivity | Achieving Equality |
esp priorities | Customer groups | esp priorities | Customer groups |
Improving the productivity of businesses in the region Raising employer demand for skills | SMEs Large businesses | Improving sub-regional employment and skills levels and reducing economic exclusion Increasing participation and attainment amongst 14-19 year olds | Individuals Communities |
