South West England

• The SkillsActive sector contributed £767m in output to the South West economy in 2004 – over one and a half times the average annual growth rate of the whole South West economy over the last five years.
• GVA for the sector is forecast to grow by 37% to £1.5bn over the next decade, at an average annual rate of 3.3%.
• The average rate of employment growth has been over 2% higher than the whole South West economy in the past five years (1999-2004). 
• Growth in employment is expected to continue above the regional average over the next ten years.

SkillsActive has a regional development manager for the South West concentrating on sport, fitness and the outdoor sectors, click here to find out more.

SkillsActive works closely with the South West regional play centre to implement the UK strategy for playwork in the region, click here to find out more.

Sector Skills Agreement for the South West region

SkillsActive, in partnership with Sport England and a number of professional bodies and government offices has undertaken extensive consultation with employers and training providers in the region to discover the skills gaps and shortages for the region. The results of this consultation have formed part of SkillsActive’s Sector Skills Agreement for England. The regional development managers for the South West launched a regional action plan detailing how SkillsActive, in partnership with key sector bodies, will address the skills needs of the workforce in the South West.

The SSA Employer and Executive Summaries are available to download. To access the full Sector Skills Agreement report for the South West, click here.