This afternoon, I chaired the first inaugural meeting of the Employment & Skills Board (BESB) at South & City College. Birmingham is buzzing with energy right now, and today’s meeting felt like we are on the cusp of a real turning point.

The session brought together partners from across the city, some of our multinational corporations and developers, small business leaders, colleges, training providers, community organisations, charities and public sector leaders, all focused on one shared goal, building a clearer, fairer and more dynamic employment and skills system for Birmingham.

I opened the meeting with the powerful message about where Birmingham stands today and the opportunities we have with the huge investment we are seeing in our city. We are a bold, young, diverse city with huge potential, but we are also facing some real challenges around youth unemployment, skills shortages and a system that has become far too disjointed for residents and employers to navigate. Now is the moment for honest collaboration and decisive action.

The group will champion this new Birmingham Employment and Skills ambition, which lays out a long‑term vision for a modern, joined‑up system that genuinely works for people. Whether it is helping young people understand their career pathways, supporting those furthest from the labour market, or ensuring employers can access the talent they need, the ambition is clear: our young people and communities deserve better, and we are going to focus on creating those pathways and opportunities with local support hubs and services.

Members also agreed the Terms of Reference setting out how the Board will deliver on Birmingham’s City Vision for growth and prosperity; targeting need and championing equity, strengthening partnerships, and influencing policy both locally and nationally. It was clear that this will not be another talking shop. It will be a space for doing, shaping and delivering.

The Council has just accepted nearly £43m in skills and employment funding from WMCA’s devolved funding settlement, supporting delivery over 3 years, and this is just a fraction of the resourses for jobs and skills for the city. By aligning resources instead of duplicating efforts, the Board aims to maximise impact and ensure real progress is made where it matters most.

Afzal Hussain, Chief Officer at Witton Lodge Community Association, spoke of the critical and ongoing role of community organisations acting as hubs for support.

What stood out throughout the meeting was the genuine commitment from everyone in the room. People spoke openly about the challenges, but also passionately about the opportunities. There’s a shared recognition that Birmingham’s young people, businesses and communities deserve a system that is easier to understand, easier to access and easier to progress through.

I was delighted to have George Burns, a 16-year-old work experience student from Arden Academy, who accompanied me. George brought a powerful and much‑needed youth perspective to the Board. As the only young person in the room, George spoke confidently about the importance of clearer information, simpler pathways, and the need for Birmingham to be far more savvy in how opportunities are shared with young people, particularly through the social media platforms they use. He reminded the Board that too often the voice of young people is missing in these conversations and called for this to be championed as we shape the city’s future approach. His contribution was inspiring, direct and a timely reminder that young people must be part of the solution, not an afterthought.

Jean Templeton, CEO at St Basils, spoke about essential support for young people who are working and struggling to secure accommodation. St Basils have created a Live-Work facility in the heart of Birmingham that offers accommodation at that critical moment for 18 – 25 year olds (search online for ‘Birmingham Live&Work’) and this help is needed across the city and the region.

The creation of a city-wide employment and skill strategy and implementation plan isn’t about abstract strategies, it’s about people. About making sure every resident, no matter their starting point, can find their path into good work. Creating a simple, joinedup way of working so employers feel involved and able to shape the support on offer.

And crucially about building a city where growth is genuinely inclusive.

Sue Roberts, CEO at Better Pathways, highlighted the need for focussed support for residents with disabilities or health conditions, learning disabilities and other complex needs. There is support available through delivery of the Government’s Connect to Work and Workwell programmes.

Today’s meeting was just the beginning. The Board will continue refining the strategy, setting targets, shaping delivery and building the partnerships needed to make real, lasting change.

Birmingham has huge potential. And with clarity, ambition and collaboration, this Board is ready to help unlock it. The next steps will be about action planning across a set of priorities to channel energy and ambition into measureable actions and impact.

This is Birmingham’s moment, the government is also on board and together with the additional funding, let us seize this opportunity to create opportunities for our young people.