“And the colleges are collaborating to establish centres of excellence through a hub and spoke model to address low carbon skills shortages through a Skills Accelerator trailblazer.”
She adds: “Apprenticeships, T Levels and skills bootcamps are examples of ways for businesses can proactively build their future workforce.
“Moreover, employers are able to showcase their businesses to young people by working in partnership with the Lancashire Careers Hub. The Lancashire Skills Pledge is an easy way for businesses to engage in the range of programmes.
“By working together - businesses, local government and education and skills providers - we can ensure that Lancashire has the skilled workforce needed to fulfil its potential as the engine room of the green industrial revolution.”
Stewart Thompson, national sales manager at Global Energy Systems (GES), a leading air source heat pump manufacturer based in Lytham, spells out the skills challenge facing the sector.
He says the government may have set a target that would see 600,000 air source heat pumps (ASHPs) installed annually by 2028 but adds: “One of the biggest challenges is who will fit them?”
He says: “There are fewer than 1,000 Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accredited ASHP installers compared to 100,000 Gas Safe installers.”
To help plug that gap in installers the business is offering free training to anyone wanting to upskill to fit ASHP’s at its Lytham and Warton factories.
Locally, colleges, universities and
providers are working collectively across the area to drive technical pathways
The Work Foundation study also found that the skills challenges are leading many organisations to turn to in-house training to plug recruitment gaps.
Of the businesses it surveyed, 81 per cent revealed they deliver their own in-house training with the most common reason for this being skills needs that can’t be met by external providers.
ON A SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY
The route to net zero may seem to be dominated by sectors such as construction, manufacturing and energy.
However, across Lancashire today businesses in all industries are embarking on their own sustainability journeys.
Burnley based performance marketing agency Door4 exists in one of those industries that is not traditionally sustainability driven. In its work it applies digital strategies to help e-commerce brands meet and exceed their commercial goals.
Company founder and chairman Leon Calverley is determined that it can play its role in the net zero drive and is leading the business’ work to develop its own sustainability programme.
The aim is to make
sure we are a good, clean business
As well as work to reduce its carbon footprint, at the heart of the programme are ‘people-led drivers’ for sustainability, such as the importance of being a responsible employer and supplier.
Door4, which has a 22-strong workforce and offices in Manchester as well as Burnley, is also actively examining the “invisible footprint” of digital services and what measures can be taken to reduce that impact.
Leon, whose roles in the company include strategy, says: “The aim is to make sure we are a good, clean business.”
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Leon Calverley
He also believes the exercise will help in the recruitment of talent and points out the growing importance of Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) in doing business.
Leon says: “We want to be seen as a good employer by people who want to work for a business that does the right things.”
Part of Door4’s future approach, as a service provider, will be to ensure it chooses suppliers and partners that have green and sustainability policies in place that meet standards that it will lay down.
Leon says: “We are at an early stage in the journey but are keen to ensure we are leading the way in the sector and understand the importance of playing our part, however small.”
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GREEN ECONOMY
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