That was the three key things that were the focus of Cllr Paul Scriven's speach at the summer conference RE:Inventing the City. In uncertain economic times, Sheffield employers may feel the need to tighten the training budget belt. However, when the tides start to turn, the main issue of being able to compete in an ever competitive commercial world is skills.

Employers are always vocal about either the lack of financial assistance towards training or even when there is assistance, the first thing that gets a moan about is the paperwork. Whatever your views, we want to know.

Sheffield Chamber have the task of finding out employers views in a "Skills and Vacancy Survey" (www.scci.org.uk/skillsandvacancysurvey). The results will link into the Sheffield Skills Strategy, a strategic plan to ensure that the City remains able to compete on a local and national skills base.

The question at present may be 'can you afford to train', the answer for the future will be 'you cannot afford not to'.