20 Apr 2026A new report by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has stressed that skills planning is 'vital' to better engaging Generation Z with the workplace. The report analysed Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) and found that they have engaged thousands of people and employers in the training and education that firms require. However, the business group also found that the 'fragmented' nature of funding and a limited scope to target young people has led to a range of opportunities being missed. A number of prospects have been identified to unlock potential, the BCC said. Kate Shoesmith, Director of Policy at the BCC, said: 'The longer [Generation Z] are allowed to drift away from employment the harder it becomes. By linking the government's Youth Guarantee scheme to ERBs who have strategic oversight of their local economies, a pathway into work can be created. 'The tools required to do this already exist through LSIPs. It is just a matter of giving them the long-term funding and authority to make it happen.'