HELPING AEROSPACE FIRMS TAKE OFF
Leading figures from the North West aerospace and advanced engineering industry met to mark the launch of a £1m initiative to support the sector in Lancashire.
The Lancashire Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing (AEM) Watchtower project will use local industry knowledge to develop a dashboard of the health of “strategically important” aerospace suppliers.
It will identify organisations that need and will most benefit from tailored, coordinated business support.
The funding is part of the county council’s new £12.8m Lancashire Economic Recovery and Growth Fund, which is targeted at tackling some of the economic impacts of Covid-19.
Representatives from the county council, North West Aerospace Alliance, Aerospace Consulting and Community and Business Partners visited the Addison Precision plant in Thornton-Cleveleys to mark the official Watchtower launch.
Managing director Mark Verdon said: “The Lancashire AEM Watchtower project is an innovative initiative that we are very pleased to support and is looking to assist us to access growth opportunities and prosper in the months and years ahead.
“The past two years have been extremely challenging to the aerospace sector, and we have had to adapt and diversify our operations further to accommodate these challenges.
“This has led us in some interesting directions and processes as we look to the future, and this is something we have to continue to explore. The Watchtower project looks like it will provide some much welcome support for us in this endeavour.”
AN OPEN INVITATION: HELP US SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WORKPLACE HEALTH by Adrian Leather
Chief executive, Active Lancashire
In recent weeks, months and years, the workplace health landscape has evolved dramatically.
I’ve seen this in our organisation and in just about every business we support through our programmes.
We want Lancashire’s workforce and businesses to be more resilient to overcome further challenges ahead, and you can play a big part in this.
The impact of the pandemic on our own wellbeing has allowed us to discuss health at work in a way in which we never have but has also left us with a lot of questions about where we go from here.
With businesses already tackling rising costs, it’s becoming harder to plan ahead and be proactive when it comes to the wellbeing of our colleagues.
This is how Business Health Matters was born. A programme that has brought together a network of partners including Lancashire Mind, the University of Central Lancashire, ukactive and many of our local authorities and leisure trusts, providing accessible support for businesses of all sizes across Lancashire.
In our first year of delivery in 2021/22, like many new initiatives, we’ve navigated the latter stages of the pandemic and faced challenges due to rising tensions overseas impacting the businesses we support.
Despite this, I am proud to say we have delivered wellbeing checks across the county and upskilled over 100 individuals in businesses to become ambassadors for better health in the workplace, thanks to our European Union funding.
The two-year programme includes an intelligence function to identify and protect Lancashire’s key aerospace assets and businesses and a talent retention service to help people who have lost skilled jobs in aerospace find new work.
There is also support for businesses to find new contracts which fit their manufacturing capabilities nationally and internationally and help for businesses to innovate through developing new products or new ways of working.
A campaign will reinforce that Lancashire remains “a perfect location” for aerospace and advanced manufacturing businesses seeking somewhere to grow.
County Councillor Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth, said: “We are pleased to support this vital industry in our county which employs around 13,000 people in Lancashire and has been hard hit by the economic impact of Covid-19.
“The Lancashire AEM Watchtower project is amongst the first to be approved for funding from the Lancashire Economic Recovery and Growth Fund, which we have launched to take urgent action to help the sectors and occupations in our county most exposed.
“We want to support AEM businesses to be competitive, innovative and financially sound to ensure they can successfully recover from the pandemic and thrive.
“The county council’s financial contribution will support 40 aerospace supply chain SMEs, help safeguard and create 200 jobs, and bring in £30m worth of revenue into the county.”
And now it is time for us to take a moment to reflect and look ahead at what workplace health support should look like in 2022, and beyond.
But for this, we need your help.
We want Business Health Matters to be the first programme of its kind that is shaped by Lancashire businesses, for Lancashire businesses.
So this is an open invitation to you, as business owners and key decision- makers, to let us know what you need when it comes to supporting your employees to be more present, productive and motivated.
Adrian Leather
Are you struggling to retain younger employees due to their resilience? Are your older employees regularly becoming unwell and impacting workloads across your team? We want to know what support would help your business: mentoring, training, funding or something else?
By talking to a member of our team on the phone, virtually or in person, you will not only help shape the future of workplace health here in Lancashire, but will also be compensated for your time with a range of complimentary services.
We cannot create change without your help. So, get in touch:
Businesshealthmatters@activelancashire.org.uk or call 01772 299838.
LANCASHIREBUSINESSVIEW.CO.UK
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