BUILDING WEALTH FOR ALL
First came the Preston Model – an internationally admired strategy to build ‘community wealth’. Now another local authority in Lancashire has adopted the same approach as it looks to ‘boost the economy from within.’
West Lancashire has put together a five-year community wealth building strategy which it says will “boost the local economy for all’.
The Preston Model brought the city’s anchor institutions together on a mission to procure more local goods and services, implement Real Living Wage principles and develop more democratic business ownership models.
It has brought hundreds of millions of pounds back into the city and put the international spotlight on Preston. In May a special delegation from South Korea visited the city on a fact-finding mission and met council leader Matthew Brown.
The visiting party, which included six prominent government heads and officials from different provinces and Seoul districts, were given presentations on Community Wealth Building and Preston’s ‘progressive procurement’ policy.
Coun Brown said: “It is testament to how far we have come along the journey to build a fairer and more resilient economy for all.”
West Lancashire has now started down the same road. In a statement announcing its
move in July it said: “This new approach will be driven by harnessing the spending power of key local institutions such as the council to deliver multiple local economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
“One way this can be done is through buying more goods and services from local businesses.”
The council says it will work to “embed” that approach within its own organisation and across wider West Lancashire-based ‘key Institutions’ such as health and education providers and employers.
Other aims include driving low carbon transition by retrofitting the built environment and building a community-based, decentralised energy system.
The programme has been developed with the support of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) the UK’s leading organisation around community wealth building.
Neil Burrows
West Lancashire councillor Rob Molloy, its portfolio holder for economic regeneration and finance, says: “This new strategy represents an incredibly important opportunity for the borough to take more control of its economic prosperity and we plan to take full advantage of that.
“We have a wealth of skills, resources, businesses and organisations that can work together to ensure more money is being
earned, saved and spent within the borough, as well as encouraging our communities to think differently about things such as off-grid energy generation and making our homes and buildings more energy efficient.
“In uncertain economic times, taking more control of our assets and supporting our local economy from the inside will mean a more secure future for everyone and the council are committed to being a catalyst for this exciting step-change.”
West Lancashire College in Skelmersdale is a leading education institution in the borough.
It is proactively involved with the local business community as it looks to provide West Lancashire with the skills needed to drive its economy forward.
One of its strategic priorities is to provide an “innovative and responsive led curriculum” which meets the needs of employers and addresses local and regional skills shortages.
To that end, last year it opened its ‘School of Science’, a high-tech centre with a fully equipped engineering suite that gives its students access to the specialist equipment and technology as they train for their future careers.
The school was funded by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal.
STATE-OF-THE-ART COLLEGE CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
major skills gaps and need specific training and skills to ensure future growth.
The college prides itself on its very good student satisfaction, excellent pass rates for vocational and technical qualifications and the exceptionally high number of students who progress to a positive sustained destination.
Gareth Sutton, vice principal, says: “We are enormously proud of our college and staff, the excellent support we provide to our students and business partners, and the great opportunities we offer to connect people to their chosen career.
West Lancashire College is a thriving and successful college based in Skelmersdale town centre.
The college offers a wide range of study programmes for school-leavers, as well as courses for adults and local businesses, and is part of NCG, one of the largest education and training organisations in the UK.
The college boasts outstanding facilities, impressive results, fabulous wrap-around support, great connections with employers and universities, plus opportunities for students to attend amazing national and international trips. West Lancashire College
was graded as Good by Ofsted at their inspection in January 2022.
Creating and developing partnerships that bridge education and business is a vital area of their work, and the college offers a wide range of training programmes, from workforce development to supporting job seekers, apprenticeships to workplace learning.
The college works with government, employers, and partners to help thousands of people every year start or develop a career. These collaborations are key to its success in supporting employers who want to invest in their workforce, or industry sectors that have
“We welcome students and businesses from Lancashire, Liverpool, Sefton and Wigan to join us on our journey to Ofsted Outstanding.”
The college invites local and regional employers who wish to partner with them, whether you can offer industry placements or site visits for students, become part of the employer network to ensure courses are industry appropriate or if you require training for your workforce.
Visit
westlancs.ac.uk or contact the employer team on 01695 52491
wlcapprenticeships@westlancs.ac.uk
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