Call for action as employer coalition widens remit
YORKSHIRE employers could miss out as the economy recovers and lose competitive advantage if they fail to make the most of government backed schemes geared to their needs when they come to find skilled employees.
The warning has come from the head of regional employment body the West Yorkshire Employer Coalition, which is calling on firms to access the available employment schemes and be at the forefront of recovery.
Anj Handa, of the West Yorkshire Employer Coalition, said more firms should take advantage of Government backed initiatives such as Local Employment Partnerships and the Young Person’s Guarantee, which can assist with recruitment and help them get the right people for the jobs.
Ms Handa said: “There are grants available for helping employers of all sizes through the recession which not enough firms are taking advantage of.
“Among the schemes are a £1,000 recruitment subsidy to employers for people aged 25+ and unemployed for over six months and access to funding for in-work training.”
Employment push: (l-r) Zulfi Hussain, chairman of the Employer Coalition; Gary Williamson, chief executive of Leeds Chamber of Commerce; Anj Handa, and Gary Lumby, president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce
The Employer Coalition has been working with large local employers in West Yorkshire such as British Gas, BT, HSBC, First Direct, Fujitsu, ITV Yorkshire, Royal Mail, Yorkshire Water and others for more than a decade.
The Employer Coalition is also extending its remit across the wider Leeds City Region to provide better access to employment schemes for employers in a larger area stretching from Skipton to Harrogate, York and Barnsley.
It is also becoming the operational employment and skills arm of the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
The West Yorkshire Employer Coalition is being renamed City Region Employer Coalition.
Ms Handa will continue to run the Employer Coalition and will also become head of employment and skills partnerships for the Chamber.
