Apprentice Town

Coronavirus – Business support to launch from today

Businesses will be able to access government support from today (Monday 23 March) to keep operating in the face of the global economic emergency brought on by coronavirus.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will provide government-backed loans of up to £5 million to small and medium businesses.

The Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility will provide a quick and cost-effective way to raise working capital for those large firms who need it.
A business information campaign has launched to ensure that businesses are aware of support available.

Businesses will be able to access government support from today (Monday 23 March) to keep operating in the face of the global economic emergency brought on by coronavirus. Details of two new loan schemes are being confirmed and an information campaign launched so that businesses know how to get help.

More than £330 billion of loans and guarantees to help firms continue operating will be available for applications from the two schemes launching today – as the government delivers on its commitment to do everything it can to support business and manage cashflows during this difficult time.

For small and medium sized businesses, the new Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is now available for applications. This scheme will help any viable business with a turnover of up to £45m to access government-backed finance of up to £5 million. Interest payments and any lender-levied fees for businesses will be covered by the Government for an initial period of up to twelve months.

The government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each facility to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. The scheme is available through more than 40 accredited lenders, which are listed on the British Business Bank website.

The Bank of England’s new lending facility for larger firms – the Covid Corporate Financing Facility – will also be open for applications to participate from this morning. By purchasing short-term corporate debt – known as commercial paper – the scheme provides a quick and cost-effective way to raise working capital for companies who are fundamentally strong but are experiencing severe disruption to cashflows, helping businesses across a range of sectors to pay wages and suppliers. The scheme is open to firms that can demonstrate that they were in sound financial health prior to the impact of Coronavirus. Companies who wish to use the scheme do not need to have issued commercial paper before.

A government information campaign has also launched today to ensure businesses are aware of the support available to them and how to access it. In addition to a new central website, the campaign will use media channels including radio, social media and television to reach businesses eligible for help.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “We are working round the clock to do whatever it takes to protect our people and businesses. That means that we are not only taking unprecedented action but doing so at unprecedented speed, because we know that businesses and their employees need help now.”

Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, said: “We know that businesses are in urgent need of access to funding during these unprecedented times. The Business Interruption Scheme will make it easier for banks to lend and businesses to borrow. This will ensure that credit keeps flowing to where it is needed, when it is needed.”

Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey, said: “The Bank of England has taken a number of steps in recent weeks to support the UK economy through the economic shock caused by covid-19. On Monday a new lending scheme, the Covid Corporate Financing Facility, will open to help businesses manage through this period of uncertainty. Combined with steps taken by the Government, this will help companies through this difficult time and support the needs of the people of this country.”

This builds on the Chancellor’s announcement on Friday of further support for firms and employees, meaning that businesses should have the access to the funds they need during this difficult period. Further measures will be announced to ensure larger and medium sized businesses will be able to access the credit they need.

Links to the information provided here and more can be found on the Destination Chesterfield Coronavirus Business Support Page

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Home

Chesterfield technology company release free educational platform to support teachers through the Coronavirus outbreak

Seymour & Lerhn, an eLearning company based in Chesterfield, have released their primary school education service for free until the 15th May, to help support primary school teachers across the UK during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Seymour & Lerhn offer a library interactive virtual tours, lesson plans and resource sheets for primary schools, to make learning immersive and educational. The virtual tours are accessible online, and aim to keep children immersed in education instead of being put off by potential home distractions.

The service has been released for free so teachers can begin to prepare for school closures, as the resources and virtual tours can assist teachers to set work for students to do from home. This is so education can continue, despite disruption of the Coronavirus.

All teachers have to do is make an account on www.seymourlerhn.com, and they will have access to every single teaching resource, lesson plan and virtual tour. From there, teachers can set tasks using the pre-made work sheets for students to complete by incorporating the activity as part of the virtual tours.

This work can be set using any home-school communication service, or by simply printing the worksheets to be sent home.

Seymour & Lerhn Head Honcho, Charlie Power (below), said: “We believe that releasing our platform for free could help primary school teachers to make life a little easier when it came to setting work for pupils to do at home. As the educational sector, we all need to band together to support schools during this challenging time, and we’ll pull through this like we always do.”

Primary school teacher, Sophie Maunders, said: “Seymour & Lerhn offer a fantastic platform to transport all children to a new world with the click of a finger. Their virtual reality programmes offer opportunities and experiences to children that they may not have otherwise had, all within the confines of their classroom or home. Definitely not one to miss.”

Charlie Power Oasis Studio web main

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Helping local companies benefit from Northern Gateway development

Local companies are being invited to a Meet the Buyer event to find out how to tender for work connected to the ongoing regeneration of Chesterfield.

The construction of the new Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre on part of the Holywell Cross car park is due to start in April. Main contractors Robert Woodhead Limited are interested to speak to local companies to form part of their supply chain on this project and other local projects in their pipeline.

The event will take place on 27 March 2020 between 8am – 12pm at Chesterfield Town Hall, Rose Hill, Chesterfield S40 1LP in committee room one.

The Enterprise Centre will provide 32 high-quality Grade A offices in a range of sizes (26 to 120 square metres) over three floors.

As part of its commitment to supporting the local economy Chesterfield Borough Council, as the planning authority, includes local labour clauses within developments of this kind to ensure developers use local suppliers, have apprenticeships and allocate as many jobs as possible to local people.

To maximise the opportunities for local companies, main contractors Robert Woodhead Limited and Chesterfield Borough Council will hold the event to provide details of a range of sub-contractor packages available during the project.

Other main contractors including Fortem will join the event to maximise the opportunities available to local businesses on the schemes they are developing across the Borough. Light refreshments will be provided, and companies are requested to bring plenty of business cards for what promises to be a valuable morning of networking.

Opportunities include:

• Brickwork
• Plastering
• Screeds
• Joinery and kitchen fitting
• Floor finishes
• Fencing
• Landscaping
• Painting and decorating
• Wall tiling
• Mastic and sealants
• Cleaners
• Roof Tiling
• Local labour recruitment agencies
• Rendering
• uPVC windows and doors
• Fire stopping
• Fire door set installation
• Kitchen and bathroom installation
• Suspended ceilings
• Electrical
• Plumbing and heating systems/gas
• Scaffolding
• Pitched and flat roofing

Councillor Terry Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for economic growth, said: “There is more than £1 billion of investment currently underway in Chesterfield and one of the key priorities of the council is that Chesterfield residents directly benefit from this by getting new jobs, training, business and skills opportunities.

“Robert Woodhead Limited has worked closely with the council to ensure that our borough benefits as much as possible from the opportunities that building this new Enterprise Centre will bring.

“I would encourage all local businesses to attend the Meet the Buyer event and see what opportunities are available for them and their workforces.”

In addition to the Meet the Buyer event, CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) and Chesterfield College will be in attendance to guide local business on how to access training and assist in the recruitment of apprentices.

To find out more about the Meet the Buyer event please contact Emily Williams on 01246 345254 or email emily.williams@chesterfield.gov.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

D2N2 LEP seeks two new board members

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has begun recruitment for two new board members who can help continue the growth of the region.

Local Enterprise Partnerships play a central role in deciding local economic priorities to drive economic growth and create local jobs.

D2N2 LEP are looking for new members who can help to shape the economic strategy across Derby Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Their goal is to improve the productivity of our economy through inclusive growth.

Board members represent the LEP’s interests to partners and stakeholders in the private and public sectors and work collaboratively with them to deliver a shared agenda for the economy.

Elizabeth Fagan CBE (right), Chair of the D2N2, said: “We’re keen to hear from business leaders with energy, creativity, and passion to help us shape and deliver our ambitions for the region.”

“This is an important time for our region as we drive forward work on our Local Industrial Strategy to develop a more prosperous and lower carbon economy, which creates better skilled and higher value jobs for our future generations”

“Our board members come from different backgrounds across our region and offer a breadth of sector knowledge and expertise. I am keen to hear from people that can build on this diversity.”

Applications are welcome from across the LEP area and from all sectors of the economy to reflect the diverse business community. The deadline for applications is Monday 20th April 2020.

To learn more about the position, download the Candidate Pack or visit the website here.

Over 200 delegates attended the 2019 D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership Annual Conference

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Chesterfield College launches Young Artists of the Year competition

Chesterfield College has launched the fourth annual competition to find Derbyshire’s talented Young Artists of the Year.

School children in Year 4 to Year 13 are encouraged to use their creative skills to produce an illustration, a painting or collage, photography or a 3D sculpture on the theme of “Modern day Britain”.

Finalists’ artwork, across a range of age and competition categories, will be exhibited as part of the college’s Art’s Festival taking place from 22 June – 3 July 2020. The young artists will be invited to a special ceremony where the winners will be announced and presented with prizes.

James Marples, Brand and Campaigns Manager at Chesterfield College said: “The Young Artist of the Year competition has gone from strength to strength and we are looking forward to seeing how local young artists interpret our theme this year. We were amazed by the number and the standard of the entries we received last summer. Our judges had a real challenge when it came to choosing winners. It is fantastic to be able to encourage and celebrate the talent and skills of young artists and we are really pleased to be able to incorporate their work into the college’s Arts Festival.”

Last year saw a huge range of different styles of stunning paintings, drawings, sculptures and photography submitted and exhibited in West Studios, Chesterfield College’s creative hub and exhibition space. Winners of the 2019 competition spoke about how it felt to be crowned as Young Artists of the Year.

Isobel Greene, winner of the Visual Arts Year 7-9 category in 2019 said; “I have chosen to do Art GCSE at school next year. If I could be an artist one day I would. It is really nice to win this competition.”

Harry Bell, Winner of the Visual Arts Year 4-6 category last year said;  “Winning this competition gives me a lot of confidence to paint a lot more.”

The closing date for the competition is 10 June 2020. More details, including terms and conditions of the competition can be found here www.chesterfield.ac.uk/yaoty

Isobel Greene, winner of the 2019 Young Artists of the Year Visual Arts Year 7-9 category

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Featured, Home, Leisure

Businesses urged to work with education providers to avoid future skills disconnect

Schools and education providers have been urged to support young people into future high skills jobs in North Derbyshire to ensure the area reaches its economic potential.

The call to action came at the fourth annual Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference organised by Chesterfield Borough Council, the D2N2 North Derbyshire Careers Hub, and Destination Chesterfield.

Speaking at the conference Mark Cottingham (below), Principal of Shirebrook Academy and part of the newly established North Derbyshire Careers Hub, appealed to businesses and employers to get involved with schools in order to get future school leavers work ready.

He said: “Education is more than passing exams. Qualifications are not enough. We need to open the eyes of young people beyond school. The more links we can have with businesses and employers then the better work we can do with young people to get them ready for employment.”

“There is nothing better than a workplace visit and work experience to open the eyes of a young person to the reality of the world of work. They have a real impact on young people and they often give them a determination and focus to achieve their ambitions.”

The conference brought together more than 100 representatives from North Derbyshire’s business community and education sector ahead of the creation of thousands of jobs in the area over the next five years.

Speaking at the conference Rachel Quinn, Head of People and Skills at D2N2 LEP echoed Mr Cottingham, saying: “There is a skills mismatch which we have to address immediately by encouraging the building of strategic partnerships between employers, young people, schools and colleges.”

“Skills are one of the most important factors in determining economic outcomes for people and places. Currently North Derbyshire is creating four times as many jobs as the working age population creating a gap in prosperity due to falling productivity levels.”

The annual conference, which was held at Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa, was headlined by television personality Baasit Siddiqui, Managing Director of Siddiqui Education, a Derby-based company which uses his public profile, 10 years teaching experience and the positive reputation of the Siddiquis from Gogglebox to help motivate and inspire school children.

Speaking at the conference, Mr Siddiqui praised Chesterfield’s approach to collaborative working but urged that it should be a lifelong strategy in individuals’ lives if people are to achieve their potential.

He said: “Research has shown that children in receipt of free school meals or the Pupil Premium are typically 18 months behind their peers academically. Collaboration, amongst other strategies, can help bridge the attainment gap between children in receipt of free school meals and Pupil Premium and their peers by five months.”

“Social mobility does not start and stop in school; it starts from birth and continues throughout life. Unless there is collaboration between schools and local businesses to inspire people at all ages and levels, then there is the possibility of a disconnect in skills and disadvantaged young people will not benefit from those jobs.”

Chesterfield currently has one of the highest rates of students on free school meals in Derbyshire. Currently there is a 4% growth in skilled jobs in Chesterfield which employers are struggling to fill, particularly in the engineering and communications sectors.

That figure is set to grow further as multimillion-pound PEAK, Chesterfield Waterside, Northern Gateway and Staveley Works developments start to come out of the ground.

Cllr Tricia Gilby, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council commented: “Chesterfield is experiencing record levels of investment and can rightly call itself a billion-pound town. Skills are at the heart of a successful economy, which is why we must develop the skills of local people to ensure they can access the many opportunities that are being created now and over the next five years in Chesterfield and the surrounding area. Already considerable collaboration and effort is taking place across North Derbyshire to ensure future skills meet the demand.”

Mr Cottingham added: “The economy needs informed, enthused young people and it’s the role of educationalists to ensure this happens and we can only do this by establishing strategic partnerships with employers. It is these partnerships that will enable pupils to understand how academic concepts can be applied to real jobs.”

With more than 14,000 students in North Derbyshire set to gain their GCSE and A level qualifications in the next five years, education and business leaders are working together to  develop solutions that will ensure a strong pipeline of talent is being developed in order to provide a future workforce with the skills required by employers.

Chesterfield businesses that wish to provide work experience or workplace visit opportunities, recruit apprentices or upskill existing employees, are encouraged to get in touch with Emily Williams, Senior Economic Development Officer at Chesterfield Borough Council. For more information please email Emily.Williams@Chesterfield.gov.uk or call 01246 345254.

Too see more images from the event, please click here.

Click here to find out more about Chesterfield being an Apprentice Town

The Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference took place on Wednesday 26th February 2020

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home

Vicar Lane partners with Derbyshire Adult Community Education in employer challenge for young people

Vicar Lane Shopping Centre is working with Derbyshire Adult Community Education (DACES), part of Derbyshire County Council, to run education programmes for young adults in Chesterfield.

The learners attend Full Time Study Programmes in Shirebrook and Clay Cross; the programmes are based around employment and enterprise and are aimed at young people aged 16-19 to help them gain the skills they need for the world of work.

Vicar Lane is working with organisers on an ‘Employer Challenge’ within the programme, whereby the learners are set a task within a real-life employment environment. Participants are required to visit the centre to familiarise themselves with the task at hand, meet the team and gather as much information as possible, before going away to work on their ideas. They then have to present their proposed solution back to the employer at the end of the programme.

On Wednesday 18th March and 29th April respectively, learners from Shirebrook and Clay Cross will visit Vicar Lane between 10:30am and 12:30pm. They’ll learn about the shopping centre and how it works from day to day, before being given an overview of the project, which will be a creative task.

Proposals will be presented by the learners, back to the centre management team on Wednesday 1st April and Wednesday 13th May. Their plans will be compared to the centre’s own thoughts to see how they align.

The work that young people complete during this task, forms part of their City and Guilds Level 1 and Level 2 Extended Certificate in Employability qualification which will prove beneficial to these young people in their quest for employment.

Shaun Brown, Centre Manager at Vicar Lane said, “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to once again be working with a team of young people from the Chesterfield community to help improve their career prospects. The initiative last year generated some really exciting results so we are looking forward to seeing what the latest group of learners come up with.”

Click here to find out more about Vicar Lane Shopping Centre

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Eckington School’s aspiring engineers discover career opportunities

With 14,000 students in north Derbyshire set to leave school in the next five years, aspiring engineers from Eckington School recently got to see first-hand the apprentice and employment opportunities open to them in the STEM sector.

Five Year 11 GCSE students from the school recently visited the award-winning Penny Hydraulics. The company design, manufacturers and installs hydraulic lifting equipment and is keen to attract the next generation of workers to its Clowne-based facility.

The visit was organised as part of the Made in Chesterfield initiative which is designed to introduce young people to careers opportunities in the town’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector.

Launched in 2015, Made in Chesterfield has already been instrumental in raising awareness of careers in the sector, reaching 3,000 students since the campaign began.

Having apprenticeship vacancies available at a range of levels Daniel Casey, Marketing Manager at Penny Hydraulics explained why building links with schools is important for the company, saying: “Supporting local initiatives like Made in Chesterfield helps Penny Hydraulics to inspire the next generation of workers from the local community.

“By bringing students from local schools to our premises we can give young people a valuable insight into a career in engineering or manufacturing – hopefully enough to inspire them to pursue a career with us and other STEM companies in the area.”

Sally-Anne Warren-Armes, Employer Engagement Manager at Eckington School echoed Daniel, saying: “Our specially selected students were already interested in a career in engineering and the visit to Penny Hydraulics strengthened these interests, giving them new avenues to think about.”

James Peters, one of the students who took part in the visit, commented: “The visit has definitely shown that there are both physical and academic sides to engineering.”

All primary and secondary schools throughout North East Derbyshire are being encouraged to sign up to the Made in Chesterfield campaign and discover the employment opportunities in the sector available to current and future school leavers. Employers in the sector are offering school leavers a variety of opportunities, including apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships and graduate training schemes.

The campaign is co-ordinated by Destination Chesterfield with support from the University of Derby, MSE Hiller, United Cast Bar Ltd, NatWest, Chesterfield Borough Council and Placing Futures.

To find out more about Made in Chesterfield and discover how your school or business can get involved, please visit https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/made/.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield

Chesterfield Apprentice showcases hospitality sector at House of Commons

During National Apprenticeship Week last week, Kobi Hawes, an apprentice at Global Brands Ltd met the local MP of Bolsover, Mark Fletcher, during the fourth annual Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase held at the House of Commons.

Kobi who is an Apprentice in Accounts the Global Brands head office on Lockoford Lane in Chesterfield, took home a certificate, given to him by Mr Fletcher, to commend his contribution to hospitality and his part in changing the perception of the industry.

The event came at an important time, with attending businesses highlighting to MPs their current staff shortages, urging the government to do more to bridge the disconnect between job losses on flailing High Streets and the burgeoning hospitality industry.

The hospitality sector collectively invested £10bn in new business over the last year, which saw a further 4.3% growth in 2019, creating 19,000 new jobs. The sector is now responsible for creating 1 in 6 of all new employment positions in the UK.

The reception saw more than 200 representatives from the hospitality industry and MPs from across the UK come together to celebrate the burgeoning sector, lifted up by the dedication of the young apprentices thriving within the companies that they work.

The showcase welcomed Minister Helen Whately MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism), who addressed the apprentices and MPs on the importance of the hospitality sector on the UK’s tourism industry.

Minister Whatley said: “We want to give visitors to the UK a world class welcome and that depends on having a skilled hospitality workforce.”

“The Tourism Sector Deal is a bold commitment between Government and industry, and as part of this, our aim is for 30,000 apprenticeships to start each year to help strengthen the domestic workforce and support the future of the industry.”

Also speaking at the event was Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, who said: “Last year’s launch of the tourism sector deal demonstrated the government’s recognition of the vital contribution made by the leisure, hospitality and tourism industries. Post-Brexit however, the industry faces a very challenging period, as ending the free movement of people will invariably lead to skills shortages in certain areas.”

“To fill the gaps, one obvious solution is to recruit more young British workers. Apprenticeships offer the perfect opportunity across all entry levels.”

“The government’s commitment to introduce 10,000 new apprenticeships in the sector each year is welcome, as is the work that is being done collectively by our industry to support investment in skills and career progression in hospitality roles.”

All the apprentices work directly with the companies, as they launch their careers within hospitality, a sector that offers a varied range of roles and opportunities across the UK. The industry supports 3.2m jobs, represents 10% of the economy’s employment, 6% of businesses and 5% of GDP, making hospitality the third largest private sector employer, double the size of the financial services industry and bigger than the automotive, pharmaceuticals and aerospace sectors combined.

The Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase displays the vibrant pub, bar, brewing, hotel and casual dining sectors during National Apprenticeship Week. The event aims to shine a light on an exciting industry giving young people unique opportunities, as well as challenging the negative perception of careers in the Hospitality Industry and encouraging them to look at the sector as somewhere where they can pursue a rewarding career.

The hospitality industry collectively invested £10bn in new business over the last year, this saw the sector grow by a further 4.3% in 2019, creating 19,000 new jobs. The sector is now responsible for creating 1 in 6 of all new employment positions in the UK.

Click here to find out more about Global Brands

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Home

Local students find out how apprenticeships can kick start their career

Chesterfield College students and pupils from schools across Derbyshire had the opportunity to meet local and national employers offering exciting apprenticeship opportunities last week.

The Apprenticeship Careers Fair, held at the college during National Apprenticeship Week, brought students and employers from a range of different sectors together.

Students found out more about the type of careers they could start or develop with an apprenticeship and employers promoted the range of apprenticeships they offered in everything from business to healthcare and engineering to the armed forces.

Engineering apprentices, Warren Feast and Aaron Leivers (right), enjoyed speaking to students about the benefits of their apprenticeship with precision engineering company, Nasmyth based in Pinxton. They also highlighted the practicalities of earning and learning.

Warren said: “For me the best way to learn is to be hands on. An apprenticeship gives you the chance to learn in real situations day in day out. Spending time at college and learning on the job gives you the best of both worlds.”

“I never imagined that doing an apprenticeship would give me the knowledge and the confidence to talk to people about aerospace engineering. It’s really good to be able to speak to people about what their interests are and whether an apprenticeship would lead them on the right path.”

Chesterfield-based drinks manufacturer and owners of Casa Hotel and Peak Edge Hotel, Global Brands, currently have 8 apprentices and they are looking for 3 more apprentices in varying hospitality and business functions.

Andrea Houghton, Talent Acquisition and Development Manager, said: “We’re here today to highlight the opportunities there are to develop a career with us. We offer apprenticeships from level 2 all the way up to level 6. Our apprentices come into a real job doing vital business functions working alongside experienced professionals. They learn how the business works and our goal is to develop and keep that talent.”

Construction students Leon Humphries and Bradley Edge both secured a trial with Dalton Roofing at the Careers Fair.

Leon said: “The event was a great opportunity to find an apprenticeship. I have been trying to find the right one for a while so it was good to be able to speak to Dalton Roofing today. I am looking forward to starting a trial next week and hopefully getting started with my apprenticeship soon after that.”

Julie Richards, Principal and Chief Executive of the Chesterfield College Group said: “It is vital to encourage young people to consider apprenticeships as a route to building a successful career. Providing our students and school pupils with the opportunity to meet employers and other apprentices at the careers fair is a fantastic way to highlight the significant benefits an apprenticeship can offer. It was wonderful to see so many employers talking enthusiastically about how they need the talent and skills of our young people in their organisations.”

“I am delighted that we can play a part in helping young people establish a career and help employers develop the workforce they need through apprenticeships.”

To find out more about the huge range of apprenticeships on offer visit www.learningunlimiteduk.com or call the Apprenticeship Hub at Chesterfield College on 0345 8501055.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Visiting

Celebrating our apprentices in Chesterfield

Sometimes national celebrations are specifically relevant to a local area, and that is the case with this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, taking place from 3 to 7 February.

One could argue that Chesterfield celebrates apprenticeships 52 weeks a year as we were the first, and I believe still remain the only place, to declare itself an Apprentice Town nearly three years ago.

Apprentices and apprenticeships are fundamental to Chesterfield’s ongoing success.

There is more than £1billion worth of investment, development and redevelopment taking place in and around the town which, it is estimated, will create will bring the opportunity to access up to 10,000 new jobs. I for one want local people and school leavers to benefit from these jobs, but they can only do this if they have the right skills and are aware of the opportunities available.

what is Apprentice Town

Chesterfield was the first town in the UK to declare itself an ‘Apprentice Town’

The Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference on 26 February will, I hope, further this conversation. The conference brings together business and education leaders to discuss how as a town we can develop our young people in order to improve the employability and skills offering for the future.

Let’s not wait for the conference however. If you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend – make sure young people around you are aware of apprenticeships and the value they bring to their personal and professional development and the town’s prosperity.

The theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Look Beyond’. It celebrates the diversity and value that apprenticeships bring to employers, apprentices and communities across England today. From highlighting the breadth of industries and roles available to the talent and energy apprentices bring into the workplace. Let’s all ‘look beyond’ when we’re giving young people post 16 careers advice.

Baasit Siddiqui, star of Gogglebox and expert on Education and Social Mobility, will be the key note speaker at the event.

More than 14,000 students in North Derbyshire are set to gain their GCSE and A Level qualifications in the next five years. As these young people weigh up their futures and decide how best to forge their career path, I believe it’s vital that apprenticeships are presented as viable options alongside University and A Levels, to pupils in schools.

We all have a role to play in ensuring that Chesterfield is future-proofed. Having a skilled workforce is key to ensure our town continues to thrive for generations to come.

“Apprentices and apprenticeships are fundamental to Chesterfield’s ongoing success”

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Blog, Business, Destination Chesterfield, Featured, Home, Leisure, Made in Chesterfield, Visiting