Scheme aims to up-skill workers over lockdown

During the recent webinar in association with Squire Patton Boggs, called Reviving the Northern Powerhouse removing the padlock, the panel of experts highlighted the importance of ensuring people have the skills needed for the post-coved economy.

Now The Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP) and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority have launched the first part of a programme of support to help workers and young people develop new skills during lockdown.

The online package includes free digital skills courses through the [re]boot programme, and new remote learning resources for parents and teachers to improve the employability of young people through the FutureGoals Remote initiative.

According to national trends identified in a recent Covid-19 ONS survey, the LEP believes as many as 387,000 workers could be furloughed in Leeds City Region. In response, the LEP and its partners have adapted skills schemes to be delivered online, to ensure that furloughed employees have an opportunity to gain the right skills needed by businesses across the city region.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said: “As businesses adapt to new ways of working as a result of Covid-19, we want to empower the region’s workforce by providing the opportunity to learn new skills. These new, online programmes have been designed to inspire, retrain and upskill people.

Roger Marsh OBE DL, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said: “It’s vital to ensure we support businesses with the skills needed for the recovery. It’s great to see these initiatives launched giving people who are furloughed the opportunity to boost their digital skills in lockdown.”

You can see a clip from the recent webinar relating to the concerns around job opportunities for young people below.