Lancashire businesses celebrate a new year with new pledges

Businesses from a host of sectors across Lancashire came together this week at County Hall in Preston to highlight their successes as part of the Lancashire Skills Pledge.

Managed by the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, the innovative initiative provides a simple front door for businesses to access support to navigate skills and employment programmes across Lancashire – helping employers to build their future workforce, recruit locally and to reskill and upskill their existing teams.

Their pledge contributions have included providing valuable insight into the world of work for young people, recruiting local people and care leavers, offering work experience and industry placements, recruiting  apprentices, and reskilling and upskilling employees.

It means businesses get to build their future workforce by supporting young people in schools, universities and colleges, recruiting locally and reskilling their employees – and Lancashire will reap the rewards of investing in skills and employment.

A host of top Lancashire businesses were awarded certificates for their commitment to the Skills Pledge – while special trophy awards were also given to those businesses that had shown outstanding commitment.

Among the Lancashire businesses taking part were businesses from small and medium sized to larger organisations and from sectors including national security, clean growth and nuclear. digital, advanced engineering and manufacturing and wider sectors like tourism and culture, care and hospitality.

Currently there are 337 businesses who are actively engaged in delivery against 771 Pledges, and since last year’s event, membership has grown by 77 businesses and 215 pledges.

County Councillor Stephen Atkinson, chair of the Lancashire Combined County Authority and leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “This is an incredibly rewarding initiative and it was fantastic to see so many businesses who want to hire local people, improve the skills of their employees and provide work experience opportunities for our young people.

“I truly believe that having a highly skilled workforce is so important to the Lancashire economy.

“This is at the heart of what we are aiming to achieve for Lancashire – to improve the employment prospects of Lancashire residents.”

Are you a local employer who may be interested in finding out more about the Lancashire Skills Pledge?

We encourage you to join a growing group of fabulous Lancashire employers and embrace the benefits that being a Skills Pledge member will bring to your business. You can do this by visiting the Lancashire Skills Pledge website.