In a direct response to the widely predicted national ‘jobs crisis’, The Calico Group in Burnley, through our skills and training arm ‘Calico Enterprise’, have announced new job opportunities, training placements and employability support to give vital help within the local community.
The Calico Group’s ‘Skills & Employment Commitment’ covers many industries and sectors, including housing, residential care, retail, media and communications, construction and trades, and customer service, and incorporates apprenticeships, traineeships, and the new Government led ‘Kickstart’ programme, designed for 16 – 24 year olds who face long term unemployment.
As the pandemic continues to impact the economy, roughly 70% of roles in Burnley and Pendle will be classed as ‘affected’, ‘vulnerable’ or ‘very vulnerable’, according to Centre for Cities. These impeding job losses and reduced opportunities look set to particularly impact younger people, leading Councillor Mark Townsend, Leader of the Council, to warn they could become the ‘lost generation’.
Therefore, within the next 12 months, The Calico Group pledge the following;
- 30 young people to be employed under the Kickstart scheme
- 30 apprenticeships will be generated across the Group
- 60 young people will benefit from work placements
In addition, they will give support to 250 people via their range of employment, wellbeing and personal development programmes all designed to get individuals closer to accessing work or training.
Sam Howarth, Head of Skills and Employment at Calico Enterprise, said; ‘We have an ongoing role to play in creating local employment opportunities and apprenticeships, even more so considering the enormous impact that the pandemic is having on jobs across the North West. As an organisation that has always been proud of our reputation as an employer and our track record in delivering skills and employability support, we know that we can play a vital part in helping our communities to access employment and skills.’
Additionally, we are helping to deliver Burnley Together’s new Youth Jobs Hub, helping to ensure younger people in the area still have access to training, job opportunities and wellbeing services during what is set to be a challenging time.
Funding for the Kickstart and apprenticeship programmes is provided in part by the Government, with a Lancashire social enterprise network ‘Selnet’ issuing grants for the other employability schemes via the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund.
For details of our skills and training opportunities, get in touch via the website – https://calicoenterprise.org.uk.
