Liverpool Hope Business School’s Senior Professional Tutor in Accounting & Finance Jo Whittingham reflects on Business Cloud’s event Liverpool Skills Summit, and explains what she believes is higher education’s role in bridging the skills gap.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited to represent Liverpool Hope University on the panel of the Liverpool Skills Summit, which was hosted by the Contact Company in Birkenhead (TCC).
The esteemed panel included representatives from both the world of business such as Asif Hamid, the CEO of TCC and the Chairman of Liverpool City Region LEP and founder of OH Robyn Dooley. It also included representatives from the education sector, such as Dr Edward Harcourt, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of External Engagement, Liverpool John Moores University.
The purpose of the summit was to discuss how education providers and business leaders can come together to address the UK’s widening skills gap and better-prepare our young people for employment.
After a great discussion, we agreed there was more to do to strengthen the links between business and University. This is something we at the Business School are keen to do.
As a relatively new Senior Tutor at Liverpool Hope University, I’m thoroughly enjoying the privilege of teaching here in the Business School. My background as a professional accountant, which includes over 20 years’ experience in graduate recruitment, gives me a well-rounded perspective on what prospective employers are looking for in our graduates.
Part of my job, as I see it, is to help our students acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours they need in order to demonstrate to prospective employers that they are worth investing in. So that ultimately, they go on to be successful in society – whichever path they choose.