Skills pledged and Hot: 100 members and growing

The need for employers to invest in their staff and to help shape the education and training of the world around them has never been greater.

We understand that the day-to-day running of a business is demanding enough, which is why we created the Lancashire Skills Pledge: to offer advice, support, access to funding and recognition for those doing their bit.

Sign up to the pledge and you’ll join more than 100 businesses who are working with us to develop their teams, recruit new talent and support their local communities.

How the Lancashire Skills Pledge works

There are seven core pledges, and when you engage with one or more you are recognised as a Lancashire Skills Pledge member. The pledges are

• Give an hour to inspire young people about their future career
• Help a local school or college create and plan an inspirational
• careers programme
• Offer industry placements to college students
• Take on an apprentice
• Become an Apprenticeship Ambassador
• Recruit people who are out of work
• Upskill your existing employees

Once you register your interest, you will be matched with a Skills Pledge Partner related to your sector who will give impartial guidance, providing you the support you need to fulfil your pledges, and the CSR recognition for the good work that you do.

Pledge Partners have a vast network of organisations they can connect you with, which includes every school, college and university in Lancashire, along with relationships with a variety of funded projects that support businesses to recruit, reskill and retain their staff. All this is at your fingertips when you register to join the Lancashire Skills Pledge. 

Read our case studies to learn how the pledge is helping these three Hot 100 businesses, then visit www.lancashireskillshub.co.uk/lancashire-skills-pledge to find out more about pledges or to tell us which pledges you are already undertaking.

It takes less than five minutes to register and will set you on the path to a more productive business, a more skilled Lancashire and a healthier UK economy.

Case study: Napthens

At Napthens we want to make sure our employees have access to the best training and development for their careers and by signing up to the Lancashire Skills Pledge we’ve extended that commitment to support the wider county and help provide opportunities for people to develop in our local communities too. 

We provide apprenticeship opportunities and our lawyers are regularly sharing their experiences, roles and careers with young people in schools and colleges to help demonstrate different routes into the legal profession.

We also help direct our employees to volunteering and charitable opportunities to further enhance our support, and the Lancashire Skills Pledge helps us operate within a good framework, highlighting areas for us to develop into, provides a sense of focus and is something for us to measure our corporate social responsibility goals against.

Nicola Mason, HR and operations director at Napthens

Case study: Calico

Through passion and a shared belief for positive change, we aspire to create skills and employment opportunities together with unique and innovative services that offer a bright future to people, places and local communities.  

Signing up to the Lancashire Skills Pledge connects us with like-minded employers and provides some recognition for the positive difference we make to people’s lives.

Project SEARCH is a fantastic example of what we do. In partnership with Burnley College, Lancashire County Council and HFT we provide supported internships and employment training opportunities for people aged 18-24 living with learning difficulties and/or autism spectrum conditions.

Jane Smith, partnership manager at Calico

Case study: Matthews and Leigh

The continued shortage of fully skilled construction workers has a direct impact on the standard of work and the performance of the industry.

At Matthews and Leigh, skills development is seen as critical to maintaining our high standards of work. Upskilling and bringing new talent into the industry through investment in apprenticeships are key business activities.

We value the contribution that apprentices make to the business, they are part of our future, and it is vital for them to have the knowledge and skills needed to understand the standard expected of them and produce quality work.

We feel signing up to the Lancashire Skills Pledge will not only recognise the work we do to support skills development, but it will also provide easy access to ways we can further enhance our efforts.

Karen Cushion, training manager at Matthews and Leigh