East Lancashire employment programmes celebrated at awards event

Active Lancashire has won an award for its successful delivery of two East Lancashire employment programmes, Pendle YES Hub (PYH) and Rossendale Works (RW).

The organization was successful in winning the Work and Training Social Enterprise of the Year category at the SELNET Enterprise in Society Awards, at the Village Hotel in Blackpool on Friday 4th November. The awards celebrate the exceptional work of non-profit organisations in Lancashire, with the category specifically highlighting the achievements of those that help local people into employment.

Active Lancashire delivers both employment services on behalf of two local authorities.

PYH is a youth employment centre initially developed by Active Lancashire and Pendle Council, and supported with funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The service is now backed by the Nelson Town Deal, having received £420k funding to remain open for 4 more years and Active Lancashire recently joined forces with fellow non-profit Positive Action in the Community (PAC) on its delivery.

Since opening in February 2021, PYH has engaged over 400 young people aged 16 to 24, supporting over 150 into work.

RW is a partnership between Active Lancashire, Rossendale Council and the DWP that provides tailored employment support, job fairs and free pre-employment training courses with guaranteed interviews. RW engaged 241 people in the last financial year, helping 44 into jobs with local employers.

RW is planning to develop its own employment hub at the Old Town Hall in Rawtenstall, having recently submitted a bid for this alongside Nelson & Colne College.

True to the wider strategies of Active Lancashire, both services provide free activity sessions within their offer. These boost attendee confidence, encourage team-work, combat isolation and improve wellbeing. The sessions – everything from boxfit to swimming – create engagement, generating trust between coaches and attendees, tackling inequalities by removing job centre formalities and engaging participants within a comfortable environment. Both services also aim to include people with lived experience of unemployment barriers within their delivery, which helps develop a rapport and understanding with participants.

Cllr Nadeem Ahmed, the leader of Pendle Council, said: “We are pleased Pendle YES Hub is getting the recognition it deserves. The SELNET award shows the Hub and its delivery team is developing a great reputation by boosting the confidence of young people and helping them find work.”

Adrian Leather, chief executive at Active Lancashire, said: “It is an honour to win and for two of our employment services to be recognised for their achievements. We are glad to be doing our part to support people and help reduce unemployment in Lancashire, while also utilising the benefits of an active lifestyle to boost skills and confidence.”

Cllr Alyson Barnes, the leader of Rossendale Council, said: “It’s great to see Rossendale Works receiving the recognition it deserves in not only helping people in the borough into work, but also engaging local businesses so that they continue to employ locally.”