The top three industries crying out for workers – and how you can land a job with them

People in the West Midlands are being urged to upskill and take advantage of more than 50,000   unique job vacancies across the region, with the healthcare, digital, and sales sectors crying out for workers.

The three sectors have been pinpointed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) as those most in need of skilled people, with research suggesting that such jobs will stay relevant for many years to come.

Digital – circa 18,000 vacancies

With such a current emphasis on digital devices and the importance of being computer literate in the modern office, there is no surprise that vacancies and opportunities in the digital sector are in abundance.

Programmers and Software Developer roles are particularly common on job sites and the route to landing a job in the field can be found through the WMCA’s various digital bootcamps. These are up to 16 weeks long and completely free for learners.

There has also been £8.5m spent to date on IT courses through the WMCA’s Adult Education Budget to not only help people looking to enter the sector, but to also prepare experienced individuals for more technical, higher-level roles.

Health – circa 17,500 vacancies

Opportunities in health and care are continuing to grow, with a huge variety of jobs offering rewarding and fulfilling careers for people of any background.

In recent years, there has been significant effort to recruit individuals for roles in health compared to other occupations, with a particular emphasis on nursing jobs.

The WMCA's Health Sciences and Care Services Training Plan has seen additional funding for training courses, through further education colleges and private training providers, to equip local people with the skills they need to fill jobs in the sector. Training is available for those at entry level right through to degree level.

Sales Related Occupations – circa 16,000 job vacancies

Sales spans every business and every industry with small businesses to large enterprises all requiring salespersons. So, it is no surprise that sales-related jobs are easier to find in comparison to other sectors.

However, there has been a particular boom in the roles of Sales Executives or Account Managers, as well as positions in technical sales regarding digital products.

Job seekers don’t necessarily need a ton of experience to get started in sales but there are still traditional educational routes that can help land the role they desire. The WMCA provides plenty of funding for bootcamps in technical sales as has spent a total of £7.5m in the last year alone on courses relating to Business, Sales and Retail.

Expert view

Dr Julie Nugent, WMCA’s executive director for economic delivery, skills and communities, said “There is major investment happening across the West Midlands and we are seeing growth in new industries, with many good employment opportunities. The WMCA is keen to ensure that local people have the right kind of support and skills to land these jobs and build a successful career for themselves.”

The WMCA has supported 560,000 unique job postings across all occupations in the past 12 months. To learn more about jobs and avenues to develop new skills across a wide range of sectors, please visit: https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/find-your-future/.