Introduction Investing in skills and training has significant benefits for your business, your employees, our community and local economy. The Humber Local Enterprise Partnership’s campaign encourages and helps businesses to access vital skills and training organisations to help them succeed and grow, in turn providing a big boost to the economy in this area. The Humber Skills Pledge provides a real opportunity for local people in terms of employment while allowing businesses in this region to become more competitive, more resilient and ready for economic change, backed by a vibrant, multi-skilled workforce. Aiming to bridge the gap and encourage joint working between employers, training providers, local councils and organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, this campaign will ensure up-to-date information on skills and training is widely communicated. Creating one point of call for businesses to access training and skills information; the Humber Skills Pledge removes any stress and complexity for companies, provides much needed guidance, advice, resources and related initiatives which could see their business grow.
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Every now and again a business owner needs someone they can turn to, to talk through challenges, ideas and thinking. Someone who understands, because they have been there. I believe that giving some of your time and sharing your experiences will help entrepreneurs to stay focused on the key things they need to do to grow their business and ultimately create more jobs, income and opportunity in our area.� Jonathan Elvidge - Managing Director RED5 Retail Ltd and mentor with For Entrepreneurs Only
The launch • 52 companies pledged on the day • More than 150 business people attended the event on Friday April 12th
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Employer Champions
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We want to use the Humber Skills Pledge to raise awareness of what skills investment can achieve for businesses, the local economy and local people. A few relatively small actions, if taken up by enough businesses, can have a very positive impact on their own companies as well as on the prospects of people in their local communities.� Lord Haskins, Chair of Humber LEP
Invest in increasing skills of your workforce:
There is clear evidence that higher skills are linked to increased productivity and improved business outcomes. Businesses in the Humber are, however, less likely than the rest of the region as a whole (Yorkshire and Humberside) to train their staff. Furthermore, replacement demand, as a result of workers retiring from the workforce, affects all sectors. For example, research from the Skills Commission shows that over the next 10 years 1/3 of engineers will retire.
Why should you do this? • Individuals and businesses lose a total of about £58 billion a year through lower personal income or business earnings due to poor literacy. • Increasing the skill levels of your employees, regardless of sector, raises company productivity. The higher the qualification, the more positive the impact. • The cost to business in lost productivity and profitability due to poor literacy and numeracy can include fixing incorrect orders, processing refunds or lost customers due to poor communication. • Employer surveys have found that organisations have made noticeable cost savings through language and literacy training. • It is cheaper to train existing staff than recruit new.
What can you do? If you are an employer, sign up to our pledge and we will get in contact to advise you further about improving the skills of your current workforce. This might be through internal or external training courses. If you are a training provider and feel you have courses which may be relevant to employers in the Humber, please contact us via the pledge page and we will link you in with employers.
Offer a work placement to a young person or adult:
Linked closely with employability skills, for some people, a lack of understanding of the world of work or simply not being given a chance to prove themselves can prevent them from finding a job. Offering someone a work placement could significantly increase their chance of securing paid employment.
Why should you do this? • Offering a work placement gives your business the opportunity to gain new ideas and fresh enthusiasm. • As a placement tends to last between two and eight weeks it could be the perfect answer to short-term problems or projects. • It offers a cost effective way of recruiting new employees without the risks. The placement could act as a trial period to find out whether someone would be suitable in a more permanent position. • Use the placement to develop management skills of your existing workforce - you may have staff who would benefit from gaining supervisory experience.
What can you do? A work placement can come in many different forms - there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. You can decide if you would like to have someone work with you for a set period of time on a monthly basis or one day per week. Pledge today and we will work in conjunction with JCP and other providers to find out what would suit your business best.
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This campaign is absolutely vital. It is a tough time for businesses and the aim is to show them that there are lots of ready, willing and able organisations ready to jump into action and help them find someone who will bring added value to their company.” Stuart Griffiths, JCP
Mentor a budding entrepreneur:
Research shows that 1 in 10 of the population are thinking of starting a business. Unfortunately, due to many reasons, most stay in ‘thinking mode’ and don’t take the final leap. New businesses bring new employment opportunities; this in turn helps improve unemployment rates in the Humber to bring them more in line with national figures.
Why should you do this? • Increase business startups, create jobs and build a stronger local economy. • Research has shown that 70% of small businesses who receive mentoring survive for five years or more, which is double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs. • Improve your professional development, enhance leadership and management skills. • Self-satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference to a young entrepreneur.
What can you do? If you are already trained as a mentor, we can put you in touch with organisations working in the Humber who have young people waiting for a mentor. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, it is very flexible - you can give as little or as much time as you can and can fit it around you and your schedule.
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The Grimsby Institute Group is delighted to offer their support to the Humber LEP Skills Pledge. It is important that we invest in the future of our economy and we recognise the significance for leading organisations in our region to work together with a common goal of a better future for all.” Sue Middlehurst, Principal and Chief Executive of the Grimsby Institute Group
Offer an apprenticeship:
Unemployment in the Humber is high. Many young people leave education without gaining any further qualifications and then, due to lack of experience, struggle to find paid employment. A fifth of the businesses surveyed in the Humber LEP area currently employ apprentices, which is great, but even a small increase in this number could have a significant impact.
Why should you do this? • Apprenticeships bring productive, enthusiastic and loyal people into your organisation. • Apprenticeships ensure that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications needed now and in the future. • They provide a ladder into meaningful employment. • An apprentice can make a valuable contribution to your business during their training period, adding value within their first few weeks (or even from day one). • The National Apprenticeship Service provides apprenticeship grants of £1,500 to employers with up to 1000 employees recruiting 16 to 24 year olds. • An apprentice is more cost effective - not only are they less expensive to recruit but organisations, such as colleges, Jobcentre Plus and other providers can help with the whole process.
What can you do? There are many different roles an apprentice can fit into, from administration to engineering. If you would like to offer an apprenticeship please pledge today and we will assist you through the process.
Employ a local graduate:
Over 4,000 students graduate from the University of Hull each year. 1 in 4 of these come from the area and wish to stay locally to work once they graduate. Due to a lack of graduate positions, however, they have to relocate out of the area to find work - we aim to keep this talent for the Humber! Fewer than one fifth of the businesses surveyed in the Humber currently employ graduates. Over the next 3 years, demand for graduates is expected to increase within businesses operating in a variety of sectors.
Why should you do this? • Most businesses would benefit from recruiting new talent possessing ambition, motivation and fresh ideas. • Graduates acquire many skills while at university which they can apply in the workplace. • Graduates are enthusiastic learners and are often productive at a faster pace. • Graduates are the ideal target for career development and succession planning. • Technology is always changing and graduates will have the most up-to-date knowledge available. If you have concerns about taking on a graduate straight from education, many places offer internship programmes which take away some of the risks. For example, the University of Hull may be able to offer a salary subsidy of £1200.
What can you do? Pledge today to employ a local graduate! Think about your vacancy or specific project and whether a graduate could have something to offer. What qualifications, skills and experience you would like your graduate to have? If you would rather go down the internship route, we can discuss these options and put you in touch with the careers service at the university and other providers.
Support the development of employability skills:
A UK wide survey identified that over 50% of employers had difficulty in recruiting staff with the skills they require in their organisations. Research completed by the Skills Commission has identified employability skills as a real concern for the Humber; many young people are leaving school without even a basic work ethic.
Why should you do this? • You, as an employer are in a prime position to demonstrate the skills, attributes and qualities required in the workplace. • Many employers state they find vacancies ‘hard to fill’ due to a lack of applicants with the necessary skills, qualifications or experience meaning a sometimes lengthy and costly recruitment process. • Many companies already work with schools, colleges and universities delivering employability programmes for example, over 40 businesses have already signed up to the Employability Charter however, we need more. • 10.4% of economically active 16-64 year olds were unemployed in Humber last year (2012), that’s 47,800 people – we want to reach the GB average of 7.9%.
What can you do? Sign up to the pledge and help work with schools, colleges and training providers to supply much needed advice. Young and unemployed people need your guidance on what you require.
Statistics References for the facts and statics can be provided on request – please contact pledge@humberlep.org for details
Name Organisation Email Phone Please tell us which pledge(s) you would be interested in supporting (Please tick) Invest in increasing the skills of your workforce Mentor a budding entrepreneur Offer a work placement to a young person or adult Offer an apprenticeship Employ a local graduate Support the development of Employability Skills Thank you for showing your support to training and skills in the Humber. We will endeavour to contact you within 48[working] hours to gather more information and help you take the next step. Please tick to confirm you are happy for us to pass these details to our partners (Jobcentre Plus, National Apprenticeship Service, Humber LEP Skills Network and Local Authorities) who will help you meet your campaign commitment. Please note that without this, you will be unable to fulfil your pledge; we will ensure these details are not used in any other capacity for this purpose.
Thank you Your support means a great deal to the success of this campaign and the Humber LEP really appreciate the time you have taken to consider signing this on behalf of your company. Below we have outlined some simple steps to help progress the campaign and show your company’s commitment to the economic growth of the region: 1. To find out more about the campaign and how to receive the Humber Skills Pledge certificate and ‘kitemark’, please visit the website at www.humberlep.org/skillspledge 2. Now you have understood the benefits that investing in skills and training can make to your company, why not pass the message on? Refer someone through the website or share this brochure. 3. If you are already fulfilling one of these actions, tell us all about it and we will endeavour to promote your company through our website.
Contact us via phone on 01482 485260 email pledge@humberlep.org or twitter @HumberSkills