The Sussex And The City Podcast

– Episode 10:
Investment In Sussex Skills Needs More Than Duct Tape And Goodwill

Host: Richard Freeman
Guest: Dan Shelley – Chair, Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan Board

This episode is brought to you in partnership with:
Let’s Do Business Finance – A British Business Bank-accredited lender, providing tailored funding and expert advice to new and growing ventures across Sussex since 2004.
👉 letsdobusinessfinance.co.uk

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🔍 Episode summary

In this deep-dive episode, Richard speaks with Dan Shelley, one of the South East's leading thinkers on skills and regional development, about the real infrastructure behind economic inclusion: adult education, technical training, and making the skills system actually work for Sussex.

Dan unpacks the role of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) – a pan-Sussex strategy he helped shape – and why aligning education and economic strategy is vital.

From digital bootcamps to hospitality apprenticeships, he highlights the collaborative groundwork already underway – and sets out what’s needed next, especially if Sussex is to make the most of devolved powers.

🎯 Why this matters for devolution

With a mayoral combined authority likely on the horizon, the episode explores how a reformed skills agenda could:

• Unlock economic mobility for adults across Sussex

• Link funding to real-world job opportunities in growth sectors

• Join up fragmented provision under a clear regional framework

• Build anchor partnerships between FE, HE and employers

• Empower a more inclusive and dynamic workforce

“The skills system is a big, beautiful mess – but Sussex is ready to tidy it up.”

 

Topics include:

• • What the LSIP actually is – and why it’s already working

  • Sussex’s seven priority sectors – and the real skills gaps they face

  • How devolution could shift adult education budgets and accountability

  • Lessons from Liverpool and the Netherlands on region-led innovation

  • Why FE is both vital and undervalued – and what needs to change

  • Microbusinesses, public value, and the myth of trickle-down skills

 

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📚 Further reading and links

• • Sussex Chamber of Commerce – LSIP Information Hub

  • Department for Education – Local Skills Improvement Plans

  • Institute for Government – How the mayor of Liverpool City Region is addressing local skills shortages

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🎧 Production credits

Host: Richard Freeman
Guest: Dan Shelley
Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey
Production management: Letitia McConalogue
Recorded at: Projects: The Lanes, Brighton

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📣 Get involved

Want to help reimagine democracy, identity and regional change in Sussex?
Join the conversation and find resources at sussexandthecity.info