Wolverhampton Business School to host Festive Breakfast on local skills

Wolverhampton Business School at the University of Wolverhampton is inviting employers, training providers, and education leaders to its upcoming Festive Breakfast on Local Skills, taking place in December 2025. This event marks the second in a series of strategic roundtables focused on strengthening the region’s talent pipeline and aligning skills provision with employer needs.

The first session, held during Wolverhampton Business Week in September, brought together employers, local authorities, and education leaders for a Breakfast Roundtable on Apprenticeships and Skills Policy. The discussion was frank and solutions-focused, exploring practical steps to widen participation, improve pathways into employment, and address hard-to-fill roles and apprenticeship reform challenges. Key themes included inclusive access, engaging mid-sized employers, and embedding work-based learning across programmes.

Building on this momentum, the Festive Breakfast will shift the focus toward action and implementation. Training providers and employers will share real-world examples and practical solutions to the challenges raised in the first session. The event aims to foster collaboration and drive forward a coordinated regional response.

Dr Sean Starr, Apprenticeships & Lifelong Learning Lead, said:
“At our last roundtable, we sparked an honest conversation about what’s working and where the gaps are. The Festive Breakfast is our opportunity to move from discussion to delivery, inviting training providers and employers to co-create solutions.”

Sadaf Alvi-Liaqat, Executive Education Lead, added:
“This is about building a network of changemakers—people who want to shape a skills system that genuinely meets employer demand and supports inclusive growth.”

Key Themes to Be Explored at the Festive Breakfast:

• Inclusive Pathways & Strengths-Based Approaches: Addressing structural disadvantages and showcasing the capabilities of underrepresented groups, including neurodiverse talent.
• Engaging Mid-Sized Employers: Understanding and responding to the needs of “middle-market” businesses across the region.
• Apprenticeships Across Life Stages: Creating clearer routes for returners to work and other non-traditional learners.
• Work-Based Learning as Standard: Expanding experiential learning across programmes, inspired by the University’s new workplace module.
• Work Experience & T Levels: Improving visibility and access to placements beyond existing networks.

Join Us in December
The Festive Breakfast on Local Skills is open to all stakeholders committed to shaping the future of apprenticeships and skills in the region.
Register Here