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South East

Hampshire and Solent

Local Skills Improvement Plan 2026-2029 · set by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce

14
Priority sectors
48
Occupations in demand
49
Skills named
6
Funding streams

The Hampshire and the Solent LSIP 2026-2029 (Hampshire Chamber of Commerce as ERB, July 2026) is the first integrated plan merging the former Solent and Enterprise M3 (EM3) LSIPs, aligned to the emerging Hampshire and the Solent County Combined Authority (HSCCA). The region hosts almost 1 million jobs (+31,300 / +3.3% since 2023) but labour-market conditions have weakened (unemployment 3.2%, falling participation).

What employers here asked for

  • Health and social care
  • Marine and maritime
  • Hospitality and the visitor economy
  • Agri-tech and rural industries
  • Construction
  • Logistics and distribution

National growth sectors

Designated by government, not chosen locally.

  • Advanced manufacturing
  • The creative sector
  • Digital and technology
  • Low carbon technologies
  • Defence and aerospace
  • Professional and services sector
  • Life sciences
  • Financial services

Occupations in demand

A sample: 16 of the 48 occupations the plan names.

  1. 01Fitters
  2. 02Welders
  3. 03Maintenance technicians
  4. 04Mechanical engineers
  5. 05Electrical engineers
  6. 06Software engineers
  7. 07Production management
  8. 08Lighting
  9. 09Costume
  10. 10Sound
  11. 11Video editing
  12. 12Post-production
  13. 13Data scientists
  14. 14Cyber security specialists
  15. 15Software developers
  16. 16Cloud professionals

Jobs advertised right now

Skills named in the plan

A sample: 12 of the 49 skills the plan names, grouped by kind.

Technical

  • Technical trades (fitting, welding, maintenance) and engineering (mechanical, electrical, software)
  • Specialist creative production skills (lighting, costume, production management, sound, video editing, post-production)
  • 'Createch' skills (AI, machine learning, immersive tech) alongside traditional craft skills
  • Data science, cyber security, software development and cloud
  • Foundational care, delegated healthcare and clinical skills
  • Biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, laboratory sciences and data-enabled diagnostics
  • Maritime engineering and operational roles
  • Marine engineering, electrotechnical skills, offshore wind, naval architecture with advanced CAD, superyacht technicians
  • Green maritime skills (port electrification, alternative propulsion, shore-to-ship power)

Digital

  • Digital literacy and data-enabled production; operating and maintaining smarter equipment
  • Essential digital literacy (from Microsoft365 to programming and AI competencies)
  • Digital literacy in care