Conference to help us manage skills gap

Friday 20 February 2015

A new conference will be looking at how business leaders can manage to keep Jersey on the map despite industry skills gaps.

The event at the Royal Yacht next month has been organised by Skills Jersey who've just carried out a review to see how bosses here compare to those in the UK.

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) was commissioned to interview over 500 local Managers to benchmark Jersey's performance in all sectors against the UK.

IES Associate Director Dr Penny Tamkin will be sharing the findings as part of her keynote address and will be joined by Simon Payne - a coaching expert from the UK.

Other speakers at the 'Taking Jersey Forward' conference that will be opened by Education Minister Deputy Rod Bryans include Helen Hatton, Dr Jeremy Cross, Martin Bralsford, Simon Nash, Chris Stephenson and Sally Gallichan.

There will also be practical tips on the day on improving management and coaching cultures.

Jersey Skills Board Member Alexsis Wintour said: “Research has shown that investment in management and leadership development can reap substantial dividends with regard to employee engagement and organisational productivity and performance. Taking Jersey Forward will provide a key forum to explore how the Island can take positive action to counter the impact of reduced inward-migration and known industry skills gaps. We are excited to present a stimulating programme of speakers and hope the conference will initiate a new and vital conversation for Jersey.”

Skills Jersey was set up to ensure Jersey’s workforce is ready to react to the global and technological changes affecting our economy and is made up of the Skills Executive and the Skills Board.

The conference is at the Royal Yacht Hotel on Thursday 5 March from 9 am until 4 pm. You can see the full programme and booking information here.