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Buckinghamshire

Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026-2029 · set by Buckinghamshire Business First

12
Priority sectors
34
Occupations in demand
28
Skills named
8
Funding streams

Buckinghamshire's second Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP 2.0), developed by Buckinghamshire Business First and approved by the Secretary of State, sets employer-led post-16 skills priorities for a three-year cycle (2026-2029). It builds on LSIP 1.0 by moving beyond identifying shortages to tackling productivity, progression, work-readiness and workforce adaptation, with AI and digital change as a defining cross-cutting theme in a predominantly SME economy.

What employers here asked for

  • Construction
  • Digital
  • Engineering (high-performance engineering)
  • Film and TV
  • Health and Social Care
  • Occupation-specific high priority needs (Chefs, HGV Drivers, Landscape Gardeners)
  • Life Sciences and MedTech

National growth sectors

Designated by government, not chosen locally.

  • Digital Technologies
  • Creative Industries
  • Clean Energy (including retrofit)
  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Health and Social Care (national)

Occupations in demand

A sample: 16 of the 34 occupations the plan names.

  1. 01Civil engineers
  2. 02Mechanical engineers
  3. 03Quantity surveyors
  4. 04Plant operators
  5. 05Control managers
  6. 06Fence erectors
  7. 07Cost controllers
  8. 08Plant machinery drivers
  9. 09Chartered surveyor
  10. 10Mechanical, electronic, electric, design and development, automation and robotics, and civil engineers
  11. 11Engineering and electrical and electronic technicians
  12. 12Welders
  13. 13Skilled metal, electrical, and electronics trades
  14. 14Science, research, engineering and technology professionals
  15. 15Support and sales roles
  16. 16Automation and robotics programmers

Jobs advertised right now

Skills named in the plan

A sample: 12 of the 28 skills the plan names, grouped by kind.

Technical

  • Entry-level skills (levels 1-2) into priority sectors
  • Higher-level technical skills for progression and specialist roles
  • Specialist technical skills (engineering, digital and other technical occupations)
  • Job-specific AI skills (AI augmentation of specific tasks)
  • Digital and technical skills for new entrants
  • Green skills - climate mitigation and adaptation
  • Retrofit skills for buildings (solar panel and heat pump installation)
  • Carbon literacy and net zero innovation
  • Sustainable set construction
  • Traditional craft skills (carpentry) plus 3D printing and CNC manufacturing of sets

Digital

  • Digital and AI literacy (AI chatbots and tools, understanding AI limitations, AI ethics)
  • Foundation digital skills (MS Windows and Teams, email, confident use of hardware)