What does the Sussex Skills Improvement Plan tell us?

The LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan) is a government-backed strategy designed to align post-16 technical education and training with the needs of local employers, giving business a stronger voice in shaping regional skills priorities.

The LSIP programme officially launched in 2021 as part of the Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper, with a trailblazer pilot chosen for Sussex. This is the first time there has been one joined-up approach to skills development across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

The Sussex LSIP began developing in 2022, led by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, and was formally approved in August 2023.

A progress report was published last week.

👉 Read it in full here

What does it tell us?

1. It’s working (mostly)
Sussex Chamber’s employer-led model is being widely used by colleges, businesses, and local authorities. The LSIP vision – “to work under one umbrella and speak with one voice” – is beginning to prove effective.

Colleges are collaborating across geographies on shared delivery, with clear evidence of curriculum redesign, new cross-campus facilities, and shared career platforms. The £4.5m LSIF funding is already boosting activity, and progress is visible in employer engagement, teacher CPD, and real-time data mapping.

2. But there’s fragility
Despite progress, issues linger. Around 13% of training providers say they’ve developed training offers based on employer feedback – but uptake is poor. Some employers still find it hard to engage meaningfully, while providers admit that no one-size-fits-all model really works. Coordination is better, but not bulletproof.

3. The geography is complex
Brighton & Hove, Crawley, Chichester, Rye – one size doesn’t fit Sussex. Ageing workforces, deprived coastal pockets, and commuter town brain drains all coexist. The LSIP recognises this and calls for flexibility and better strategies to ensure place-based responses match real need.

4. Net Zero and AI are creeping up the agenda
Green skills and digital transformation are finally getting strategic attention. The LSIP includes a deep dive into net zero skills (via Clean Growth UK) and a regional rollout of immersive VR training and AI-powered employability tools like BodySwaps. There’s a concerted effort to shift from siloed pilot projects to integrated planning.

5. What's next?
Still to come: full-scale rollout of a Sussex-wide job-matching app, new sector-specific leadership programmes, a consistent careers offer across West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, and East Sussex – and high-profile employer engagement events on inclusive hiring and nature-positive industries.

So what?
This is a marker of what devolved, collaborative, evidence-based policymaking can look like when aligned with clear local priorities.

If the next phase of devolution empowers Sussex to go further and faster – especially in connecting green growth, digital innovation, and education reform – the LSIP (which would be jointly owned by Sussex Chamber and a new mayor) may be the blueprint others follow.

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