Greater Manchester Chamber is the designated Employer Representative Body for the Greater Manchester Local Skills Improvement Plan.

Jointly led by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the LSIP gives businesses a stronger voice in tackling skills shortages and building a clear pipeline of people into good jobs.

It also supports inclusive growth across the city region’s six growth locations, key areas identified for investment and job creation.

The LSIP is part of Greater Manchester’s wider ambition to build a thriving city region where everyone can access good work and employers have the skilled people they need to grow.

The LSIP plays a vital role in delivering the ambitions of the Greater Manchester Strategy by ensuring the city region’s skills system is driven by employer demand. Developed through extensive collaboration between the business community, education providers and GMCA, it identifies current and future skills needs across key sectors such as digital, green industries and advanced manufacturing.

By aligning training provision with Greater Manchester’s economic priorities, the LSIP supports inclusive growth, boosts productivity and helps residents gain the skills needed to thrive in a changing economy.

During the first LSIP cycle (Autumn 2022 – Summer 2025), feedback from more than 3,000 employers identified key sector and place-based skills gaps, as well as strategic priorities such as digital skills, literacy and numeracy, leadership and management, and green skills to support the city region’s net zero ambitions. Colleges and training providers across Greater Manchester have already developed tailored courses in response.

This next phase will take our joint work to the next level by putting the LSIP at the heart of our strategy and delivery, giving employers across Greater Manchester a stronger voice in shaping the skills and talent they need to succeed.