Businesses mark year of progress for skills pledge

More than 100 representatives from Lancashire businesses gathered to toast a successful year for the county's skills pledge.

The Lancashire Skills Pledge, which is an initiative run by Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, recognises employers who are committed to inspiring, recruiting and upskilling Lancashire’s people.

It acts as a starting point 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 employees.

The Lancashire Skills Pledge is a pan-Lancashire initiative supported by Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and Blackpool Council. There are eight Skills Pledges in total and six Pledge Partners who manage them.

This year's annual Lancashire Skills Pledge celebration event took place at County Hall in Preston. Businesses received certificates for their commitment to the pledge for the coming year. In addition, for the first this time this year, special awards were given against each pledge for those businesses that had shown outstanding commitment.

Since the launch of the Lancashire Skills Pledge in May 2019, 377 business have registered their interest in 1,363 Skills Pledges.

Of these, 247 businesses are Skills Pledge Members who are actively engaged in 533 Pledges.

Since the last Skills Pledge celebration event in December 2022, Skills Pledge membership has grown by 55 (29 per cent).

County coun Jayne Rear, cabinet member for education and skills at Lancashire County Council, said: "The Skills Pledge is our way to offer one front door so businesses can access the support they need to recruit and reskill.

"We want to support people to develop their skills throughout their lives and attract business to the county because of our highly skilled workforce.

"Skills Pledge membership has seen considerable growth so I would like to thank our Lancashire wide business community for showing this commitment and ask them to spread the word so that more businesses can commit to the Skills Pledge in 2024."