BUSINESSES struggling with skills shortages have been invited to an event which aims to help shape future support.

The free Solent People and Skills Conference will be held at Fareham Innovation Centre on Thursday, July 7.

It will bring business leaders from the region together to discuss the challenges they are facing and help shape support and provision.

It is being hosted by Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and will feature guest speakers from the LEP, Make, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, and NetZero Training (Highbury College) talking about the support and provisions already available for local businesses.

Rachael Randall, chair of Solent LEP, said: “We have a packed conference planned with great speakers sharing their experiences and providing valuable insight into skills and training.

“During the presentations, we will be asking local businesses to tell us how we can help and where the skills gaps are. We want to make this a meaningful discussion, and to make a considered difference to the future provisions that we provide to businesses right across the Solent region.”

The event will feature panel discussions with professionals from marine, tourism, the creative industries, health and social care and construction. All will discuss the challenges their sectors face, and how they are overcoming them.

Other speakers include: Helen Ives, executive director of workforce at Solent NHS Trust; Glenn Turnball, operations capability manager at BAE Systems; James Gayle, founder of Shogun Social; and Anita Bower, people and culture director at Iconic Luxury Hotels.

A degree level apprentice will speak about why they chose that career path.

There will be opportunities to speak to representatives from Get Set Solent, Manufacturing Programme, ALPHI, Maritime UK Solent, SkillsLab, Solent Apprenticeship and Skills Hub, FEDCAP, SERCO, MakeUK and the Solent LEP's Careers Hub.

July 7 is National Manufacturing Day, and there will be opportunities for attendees to visit some of the manufacturing businesses based at Daedalus, the Solent Enterprise Zone, as it opens its doors to showcase job roles available in manufacturing.

Those interested in attending the conference can register their interest at: solentlep.org.uk/calendar/the-solent-people-skills-conference