Businesses across Chesterfield have been told they must act today to futureproof their businesses and the town’s economy, by ensuring their staff are receiving the relevant training and skills.
The Chesterfield Employability and Skills Conference was hosted in partnership by Chesterfield Borough Council and Destination Chesterfield, introducing a new wave of support for firms in the area, signposting businesses to relevant schemes to help them upskill and reskill staff.
Michael Timmins, Chair of the Chesterfield Skills and Employment Partnership, said: “It was fantastic to see so many businesses in attendance at the Employability and Skills Conference. We know that firms across our area are concerned about the future of their workforces, so it is extremely important that we continue to highlight the support that is out there.
“I would urge businesses of all sizes to make the most of the assistance available. We must all work together to secure the future growth of Chesterfield and ensure that our workforce has the right skills and abilities to meet future challenges.”
Attendees at the event were given the chance to meet representatives from the following organisations:
- Chesterfield Borough Council, Skills Brokerage Service
- Chesterfield College
- Derbyshire BAME Forum
- Direct Education Business Partnership
- University of Derby
- D2N2 Careers Hub/ D2N2 LEP
- Derbyshire County Council/ National Careers Service
- North East Derbyshire District Council
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Auto Windscreens, owned by Markerstudy Group
- East Midlands Railway
The call for businesses to access this support comes as firms in some of the town’s key sectors say they are finding difficulties in filling vacancies with suitable skilled people.
The latest East Midlands Chamber Quarterly Economic Survey showed that more than 70% of businesses in the region are struggling to fill vacancies, with skilled manual or technical roles proving the most challenging. Industries such as construction, manufacturing, engineering, digital and health & social care are just some of the sectors which Chesterfield Borough Council aims to support with workforce growth.
To address those challenges, Chesterfield’s new skills brokerage gives businesses in the borough the opportunity to gain free, impartial, bespoke advice to support them to access funding, alongside connecting companies to training and development opportunities.
