Employers highlight pressing challenges at Wolverhampton Business School festive breakfast
Wolverhampton University’s Business School welcomed leading employers, education partners and regional stakeholders this week for a festive breakfast to discuss local skills and workforce development.
The event on Monday December 15 brought together voices from across sectors to explore practical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing businesses and public organisations across the West Midlands.
Key themes emerging from the conversation included policy uncertainty, workforce pressures, the high demand in flexible, modular skills provision and T-Level placements and apprenticeship requirements creating capacity pressures.
Despite the challenges, the event underscored a shared commitment to collaboration and innovation – with attendees agreeing to the region’s potential is incredible when efforts are aligned and pledged to build on the insights gained in 2026.
Sadaf Alvi-Liaqat, executive education project manager, said: “This event was about listening, learning, and working together. The energy in the room showed that while the skills landscape is complex, our collective determination to find solutions is stronger than ever.”
Parveen Kumar, apprenticeships and workforce development manager at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, added: “The festive breakfast roundtable on skills served as an informal, dynamic platform for employers across the region to connect, share insights, and collaborate.
"It provided an opportunity to explore current education and skills policies, identify gaps and challenges, and foster partnerships aimed at developing sustainable workforce solutions.”
Wolverhampton University said it will continue to work closely with partners to develop responsive, employer-led skills initiatives that meet the evolving needs of the region.
For information about Wolverhampton Business School and its work on skills development visit the university's website.
