MORE than 60 leading businesses attended an event to share their vision for the future.

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, the leading organisation representing the business community launched its strategic vision for the region, Vision 2026.

This was the first event hosted by the chamber’s new chief executive officer, Sarah Bailey, who has joined the organisation following a career in local business banking.

She said: “We listen and act as the authentic voice of business across our region and work with our members to tackle their key challenges to help drive them and our economy forward.

“Our members say they are being held back by a regional skills shortages. Our latest Quarterly Business Report identified that of those businesses in West Cheshire that tried to recruit in the last quarter, nearly half (40%) encountered difficulties.”

The organisation’s four priority areas of support were highlighted at the event:

  • Bridging the Employment and Skills gap.
  • Promoting International Trade and helping businesses navigate new processes.
  • Enhancing Infrastructure and Connectivity.
  • Climate Challenge advice to support the increased demands on businesses to be more sustainable.

She added: “Through engagements with key stakeholders, and initiatives including our Young Chamber Programme, we aim to help develop the skills of those entering the workplace.

"In addition, embracing digitalisation and upskilling the existing workforce is another key area we will be providing support for our members.”

On Climate Challenge which is another key focus for the Chamber, Sarah said: “As the UK moves towards Net Zero by 2050, there is an ever-increasing sentiment from businesses to improve their sustainability.

"However, many businesses lack the support and guidance on how they can implement changes in their workplace to reduce their carbon footprint.

“One area we’ll be focusing on is to utilise our members network to showcase Net Zero Champions that have made significant efforts to reduce their impact on the environment in order to share best practice with other companies.”