An innovative partnership which is helping local people access workplace skills and training has marked its one-year milestone.
The Chesterfield Skills and Employment Partnership brings together representatives from the business community, education providers and public sector, to develop programmes and initiatives that aim to help local residents improve their skills to access new opportunities, which will help the local economy to grow.
The partnership has had a busy first year – launching five new skills programmes, established a skills brokerage service, hosted almost 20 events, and created a new initiative that has helped more than 200 young people to make more informed decisions about their future.
Michael Timmins, a director at AECOM and chair of the Skills and Employment Partnership, said: “It has been an incredibly busy first year and we’ve launched lots of new initiatives and programmes that will help ensure everyone can develop the skills that local businesses need to grow. By working in partnership with the public sector, it has helped ensure that support can be provided to solve the challenges faced by businesses and I look forward to seeing how this partnership develops, and to launching more programmes that will help local people access skills training.”
The Chesterfield Skills and Employment Partnership is a key element of Chesterfield Borough Council’s Skills Action Plan. Launched in 2023, it sets out a variety of partnership initiatives – working with local agencies and businesses – to help bridge the skills gap.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council and vice chair of the Skills and Employment Partnership, said: “We want to ensure that everyone can benefit from a growing local economy and through working in partnership with businesses and the community sector we can help local people develop the skills to progress in their careers or access new opportunities as they become available.
“Over the last year we have launched lots of new programmes with the business, education, and voluntary sector, I would like to encourage local residents to look into these opportunities and take full advantage of them because they can help progress their career and build a better life in our borough.”
The Skills Action Plan runs until 2027. It is just one of a range of projects and initiatives which is being funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), after the council was successful in securing £2.6m from the Government. It will fund initiatives, until 2025, which are designed to improve life for local people and support local businesses.
More information about the Skills Action Plan and how people can access the support available can be found by visiting: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/jobs-training-skills-and-apprenticeships/
