Government needs to wake up to skills gap hampering growth of Northern Powerhouse - The Yorkshire Post says

SKILLS underpin our region’s economy, enabling businesses to innovate and prosper. It is no exaggeration to say that without the proper skills, the outlook for the future is a matter for concern.

Yet that is the state of affairs that Yorkshire faces. The CBI’s warning today that a skills gap is hampering the growth of the Northern Powerhouse as the project approaches its fifth anniversary is worrying and ought to act as a wake-up call for the Government, irrespective of who becomes its next leader.

The figures are stark. Some 88 per cent of businesses in our region are struggling to access the skills they need, and 65 per cent warn that the shortfall is hampering competitiveness.

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This is a consequence of the continuing uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Businesses in our region have consistently warned for the past three years that issues around immigration and the free movement of skilled labour between Britain and Europe needed to be at the top of the Government’s agenda.

But the Government has failed to heed those warnings, and political deadlock over how and when Britain leaves the EU has resulted in an almost total neglect of this vital matter. That is a damning indictment of a Conservative Government which should be the natural ally of business, and acutely sensitive to its needs.

There has already been insufficient Government support for the Northern Powerhouse and uncertainty over how companies access skilled workers can only aggravate problems. This is unacceptable and demands urgent action if our region is not to suffer.

It is essential that the Government heeds the CBI’s warning. However Brexit is to be resolved as the October 31 deadline for leaving the EU approaches, the question over firms accessing skilled staff they need from overseas must now be given the priority it deserves.