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Dorset Skills Survey 2025 – Have Your Say!

Can you spare just 10 minutes to share your views on the skills your business needs?

We know Dorset employers can face real challenges — from recruitment struggles and digital skills shortages to gaps in employee “soft skills” and workplace readiness.
Now’s your chance to tell us exactly what’s happening in your business.

Your feedback will directly help shape future training and skills provision across the county — ensuring local talent is ready for local jobs.

We’re calling on businesses of all sizes and sectors to take part.

Complete the Dorset Skills Survey 2025 today

Prefer a chat or to share your thoughts by email?
Get in touch at lsip@dorsetchamber.co.uk or request a 1:1 call via the form.

 

Share your views here

Collaboration Across Dorset’s Skills Sector Actively Closing Skills Gaps

Latest Local Skills Improvement Plan 2025 Progress Report Highlights Progress 

Dorset Chamber has published the second Dorset Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) Progress Report. Click the links to view the report, activity roadmap and supporting evidence and case studies. 

Two years on from the publication of the Dorset’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), this report demonstrates how stakeholders across the county have taken significant action to meet the changing skills needs of local employers in the last year.

The report highlights the progress made across the post-16 technical education, training and employment landscape in Dorset to engage more people in work with relevant skills, and to develop the skills of the established workforce. It demonstrates how collaborative ways of working are influencing curriculum plans, local government policy and enabling employer best practice.

As a response to the issues raised in the Local Skills Improvement Plan published in August 2023, the report spotlights specific actions, courses and programmes addressing the plan’s agreed priorities in they key sectors and cross-cutting themes. 

The report also focusses on key priorities for the next phase of the plan, including: 

  • Supporting employers to improve digital skills (from core digital skills like excel and email to AI, coding and automation)
  • Opportunities to improve employer understanding on the free and funded training available to upskill their people (and how to access it)
  • Collaborative approaches to addressing skills shortages and vacancies in key sectors such as construction and care
  • Helping businesses to become more inclusive with their hiring practices 

For the latest on funded and free training updates, news and insightful articles on developing your workforce, follow @DorsetSkills on LinkedIn.  Or to speak to a member of the team about training for your business, get in touch. 

View the Latest Employer Priorities 

The Dorset LSIP team works closely with stakeholders to develop and distribute data and insight on skills and employment.  March 2025 saw the publication of the latest Priorities which can be viewed here.

The Priorities provide an update on the skills which businesses need now, and in the future. They are based on updated employer data, and analysis of the local labour market and skills data, sector specific data, alongside feedback from education and training providers’ and partners’.

They summarise employer skills needs (specialist and transferable), jobs in demand, employer delivery preferences, areas for development and training barriers.

 

Sector Focus

The LSIP is intended to support employers the length of breadth of Dorset. However, within the region the following sectors have been identified as high need, growth and innovation sectors and will form the core priorities of the report:

  • Agriculture, Agri-tech and Aquaculture
  • Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering including Aerospace, Defence and Marine
  • Construction
  • Digital Tech and Creative
  • Health and Social Care
  • Net Zero
View Sector Findings

Discover Skills in Dorset 

Dorset Skills aims to help you find out more about how to train your people.

Register for updates  – and follow us on LinkedIn  – to keep up-to date with skills and training news, support, and free and Government-funded training.

Updates and content are provided by skills partners from across the county collaborating to share the latest updates with you, and the profile is managed day-to-day by the Dorset LSIP team at Dorset Chamber.

Partners sharing content include business support organisations, training providers, employment experts, economic development organisations, councils and real life case studies from other employers.

Visit LinkedIn and follow @DorsetSkills to get the latest updates. 

 

What is the Dorset LSIP?

The Dorset Local Skills Improvement Plan (Dorset LSIP) is a three-year Dorset-wide review of skills provision against the current and future needs of businesses, funded by Department of Education (DfE). It aims to identify, and provide recommendations on, the skills and training provision which Dorset employers need to grow and develop their businesses now and in the future.

The Dorset LSIP intends to support Dorset businesses to have the right people doing the right jobs with the right skills.  As priorities and technologies change, as do the skills required to adapt to the different demands.  The Plan will work to provide appropriate post-16 technical education to meet the skills needs in business – and those on the near horizon such as Net Zero changes

The delivery of the LSIP is led by Dorset Chamber (appointed as the Employer Representative Body – ERB) who will be working closely with public and private sector partners including Dorset employers, the LEP, the Local Authorities and all the local colleges and private providers.

Partners, Stakeholders & Contributors include:

Useful Information

Local Skills Improvement Plans Guidance

View Guidance

Dorset LSIP: Conflict of Interests Register April 2025

View Register