KIMPTON LOOKING TO BECOME A CORNERSTONE ‘GREEN JOBS’ EMPLOYER

Matt Breakwell, Business Development Director at Kimpton, discusses how the LCR can achieve its green technology ambitions.

It is well-documented that the Liverpool City Region aspires to reach net zero targets by 2040, a full decade ahead of the national target, and it’s clear we have a unique opportunity to become a UK and global centre for green technologies.

It is also clear, however, that to realise those highly admirable ambitions, we must take decisive steps today to close the skills gap and futureproof our workforce of tomorrow.

One root cause of this divide is that schools and colleges often have limited knowledge of the specialist careers that exist across mechanical and electrical engineering, construction and property. Many of these are office-based roles, rather than the ‘onthe-tools’ roles that typically come to mind.

Of course, there are multiple examples of companies and schools and colleges doing great work together, whether offering work placements and apprenticeships, careers presentations or giving up their time as governors or visiting tutors. Indeed, we enjoy many of those healthy relationships ourselves and they’re crucial to the success of our business.

However, much of this activity remains siloed and consequently schools and colleges often know only about the work of those particular firms, rather than the wider market. This is by no means their fault, but simply a consequence of the status quo.

By broadening the base of careers knowledge among education providers, we can hope to widen the scope of their teaching and thus expand the horizons of their students. We also want to increase the volume and value of apprenticeships.

That’s why we’ve started working even more closely with Careers Hub, which is managed by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, to become a cornerstone employer, representing green jobs. Being a cornerstone employer means we can collaborate closely with the Careers Hub to support world class careers education at scale in their local region.

We’re looking forward to helping them develop stronger links between employers and schools to show students the opportunities and pathways into engineering, construction and commercial property roles. Unfortunately, not enough teachers understand that many of these roles exist, or that they can ultimately attract high salaries in excess of £60,000 through an apprenticeship pathway.

Liverpool City Region will be home to one of five UK pilot schemes, testing a new careers support programme that we hope will be much more effective in showcasing the various career opportunities and connecting schools and colleges to employer’s needs. We are excited to engage with the scheme.

If you are an LCR-based business, I would absolutely encourage you to contact the Careers Hub and get involved in securing tomorrow’s skills for your company.