Top Lancashire businesses and skills providers to discuss apprenticeships at new conference

Representatives of 14 prominent Lancashire businesses and top-ranking skills providers will share the inside story of apprenticeships and how they will help the county bounce back from the pandemic at the much-anticipated Lancashire Apprenticeships Conference on Tuesday, February 9.

The event, which runs from 10am to 12pm and will be held online through Zoom, takes place during National Apprenticeship Week, a UK-wide movement to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships.

Lancashire Apprenticeships Conference will take an in-depth, county-centric look at the apprenticeships programme, including how it has evolved in recent years and broadened its scope, as well as discussing its benefits to both employers and learners. This event will also explore the future of apprenticeships and the role they will play in bridging Lancashire’s skills gap.

The event will feature three panel debates. Attendees will hear first-hand experiences from organisations that are already using apprenticeships within their business.

There will be discussion about the skills demands of the red rose county as it faces challenges such as Brexit, the pandemic and beyond, the vital role that digital plays in all sectors, and how apprenticeships can address current and future needs.

Skills providers themselves will give an inside look at the programme and discuss their role in both upskilling the population and helping businesses to flourish.

Confirmed panellists so far include:

David Walker, managing director of +24 Academy
Linda Dean, executive director of B&FC for Business
Claire Shore, senior business development manager at Blackburn College
Jane Cole, managing director of Blackpool Transport
Neil Burrows, assistant principal of Burnley College
Oliver Burton, CEO of Forbes Solicitors
Gareth Lindsay, managing director of North Lancs Training Group
Jimmy King, managing director of Pierce Group
Linzi Monks, head of apprenticeships and employer management at Preston's College
Yaseer Ahmed, director of strategy and organisational development at Roccia
Mark Edwards, operations director at Seriun
Andrew Wood, CEO of UPS Building and Maintenance
Tony Openshaw, project officer of UpSkilling Lancashire, University of Central Lancashire
Neil Ainsworth, director of Wave Internet

The conference is to be hosted by Lancashire Business View magazine in support of its annual Apprenticeship Report, available to read in its January/February edition. The event is supported by sponsors +24 Academy, Blackburn College, Blackpool & The Fylde College, Burnley College, Nelson & Colne College, North Lancs Training Group, Pierce CA, Preston's College and UCLan.

Places can now be booked online at https://bit.ly/LBVac2021 and attendees to the event will also be able to network once the feature presentations have concluded.

Richard Slater, publisher of Lancashire Business View, said: “This is an important time for the county of Lancashire as we begin to plan our recovery from the global pandemic which has changed so much about the way we do business.

“Skills will be a key to this and apprenticeships will play a major role. Fortunately our county has so many skills providers with top-tier reputations and so many resilient, forward-thinking employers. We are delighted to have so many of them joining our panel, creating an event that cannot be missed by anyone who has a stake in the county’s future.”

Richard added: “Apprenticeships have changed a great deal in recent years and I think that anybody who has not been playing close attention will be surprised and impressed by the scope and value of today’s apprenticeship schemes.”