Businesses and training providers will come together at an event this week to look at practical ideas to meet some of the skills needs across the West of England.
The half-day Future Skills Exchange is being staged by Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce, at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol on Thursday. 
The event, which is open to businesses, education and training providers with a base in the West of England region, will include focused sector breakout workshops and a range of keynote speakers including Gavin Strange, a senior designer for the interactive arm of Bristol animation studio Aardman.
Gavin is also a designer and director going under the alias of JamFactory and co-founded the contemporary design store STRANGE with his wife Jane.
He will recount his experience of developing his career in the creative industry.
Business West training and business experts will be on hand to offer support and advice to help businesses think about how to achieve long-term staffing goals.
Businesses will be encouraged to think differently about tackling key recruitment, retention and training challenges and learn from other businesses on potential best practice solutions.
Attendees will have the opportunity to think about how a more diverse and inclusive workforce can help accelerate their business’ growth, and receive guidance on how to make themselves more attractive and accessible to hard-to-reach groups in the West of England. They’ll also be able to find out what support is on offer in the region.
The event will all be followed by a light lunch and showcase of some of the regions colleges and training providers.
To book go to https://www.businesswest.co.uk/events/future-skills-exchange
