Devon and Cornwall companies urge action on skills and infrastructure

Ellichipuram Umesh

Tue, July 28, 2026 astatine 6:19 AM CDT 1 min read

Businesses crossed Devon and Cornwall successful the UK person called for stronger enactment connected skills, infrastructure and workforce improvement pursuing a roundtable held by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

The gathering successful Paignton, Devon, brought unneurotic employers from crossed the South West, alongside Torbay MP Steve Darling.

The treatment focused connected the cardinal pressures and opportunities shaping the determination economy.

Companies highlighted a scope of challenges including skills shortages, rising employment costs, transport and connectivity problems, apprenticeship backing constraints and the increasing usage of AI successful the workplace.

Many employers reported ongoing problems successful attracting and retaining staff.

They said shortages successful the workforce are restricting maturation and making it much hard to grow operations.

Participants besides raised concerns astir a determination "brain drain", with skilled employees leaving the South West to prosecute roles elsewhere.

CIMA Policy manager Ross Archer said: "Businesses crossed Devon and Cornwall are ambitious and optimistic astir the future, but they are facing a scope of challenges that hazard holding backmost maturation and investment.

"Whether it is workforce shortages, entree to skills, transport connectivity oregon the rising outgo of doing business, employers are wide that enactment is needed to unlock the region's afloat potential."

Apprenticeships were wide backed arsenic an important way into enactment by the businesses.

However, participants voiced concerns astir restrictions connected Level 7 apprenticeships and the imaginable interaction connected workforce skills and concern competitiveness.

The roundtable besides examined ongoing difficulties astir exporting. Businesses reported greater complexity, higher costs and accrued administrative requirements linked to post-Brexit trading rules.

"Devon and Cornwall companies impulse enactment connected skills and infrastructure" was primitively created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.