4 PUBLISHER’S VIEW
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Ged Henderson, editor
ged.henderson@lancashirebusinessview.co.uk t: 01254 295585
Stephen Bolton, commercial director
PUBLISHER’S VIEW Richard Slater, publisher
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richard@lancashirebusinessview.co.uk www.lancashirebusinessview.co.uk
The prize for Lancashire, if it can overcome the skills challenges, is massive. The Local Government Association is forecasting there will be 44,000 green jobs in our county by 2030 – rising to 68,000 by 2050.
That growth in opportunities is already emerging, with more than 600 job vacancies advertised in low carbon sectors of the county’s economy in October and November last year alone.
From nuclear and wind to marine and battery technologies, Lancashire is already home to 5,200 businesses in the energy and low carbon sector.
In this edition we ask if the county is ready to take full advantage of this low carbon revolution.
There are strong signs that things are ‘green for go’. An ambitious initiative to put Lancashire at the heart of the low carbon revolution is powering up its efforts to support the innovators.
RedCAT is on a mission to deliver funding and support for developing technologies, accelerating their journey through capital investment at every stage.
The aim is for the not-for-profit venture to eventually operate on a national scale. Closer to home, the ultimate vision for Lancashire is to see innovative low carbon products manufactured here and exported across the globe.
RedCAT is already making a difference. Cutting-edge tech businesses are resisting the lure of our big city neighbours and the Oxbridge ‘golden triangle’ and are committing their futures to Lancashire.
Meanwhile Lancashire’s colleges, universities and providers are working collectively to build a pipeline of skills aligned with the new needs of our industry base.
We’ve also looked at the increasing importance of sustainability and the Net Zero agenda when it comes to doing business. Green finance is on the rise and Lancashire companies are tapping into it to their benefit.
This edition also examines another major issue for Lancashire as it looks to drive its economy forward in the post-pandemic world.
A study of Lancashire Business View’s latest Hot 100 list of the county’s most successful SMEs has highlighted a massive imbalance in the number of male and female directors in their boardrooms.
The work, carried out with PM+M, which puts together the annual list, has revealed that out of the companies’ 344 directors, just 71 were women. That’s just around one fifth of the total.
There’s no doubt that talented women are making their mark in Lancashire, however the majority of them are working in senior roles in public sector organisations. The private sector, and our SMEs in particular, continue to lag well behind.
We’d urge businesses to do more to communicate the value of women in the boardroom and to promote the work of their female leaders to a wider audience.
Businesses not only have to show more faith in women and what they can achieve, they need to highlight those achievements more.
Mentoring, networking and support for women returning to work all have their place to play. Family businesses need to get involved in this as well. It’s 2022 and Lancashire needs to do much better.
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Editorial: Ged Henderson, Tim Aldred Principal photography: Clive Lawrence Artwork and layout: Magnificent Studio Printed by Peter Scott Printers, Burnley
Lancashire Business View is written, designed and produced by Northpoint Publishing. Lancashire Business View and LBV are registered trademarks. The views expressed by our columnists are not necessarily shared by Lancashire Business View.
Northpoint Publishing: East Park Lodge, East Park Road, Blackburn BB1 8DW. t: 01254 297870 | f: 01254 295581 e:
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ISSN: 1757-479X
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Rachael Norris,
head of marketing and events
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LBV Hub manager
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