Feature : Innovative programme launched THE PIONEERING FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAMME LAUNCHES

An innovative new programme has been co-launched by Burnley Bondholders and the University of Central Lancashire to support the careers of the most promising young leaders in Burnley.

The Burnley Bondholder initiative has been making waves since 2009 and is often described as the public-private partnership to which to aspire. Indeed, its 200 plus businesses regularly come together to share experiences and ideas, partner together for contracts and projects and join forces to lobby for and champion Burnley on a local, regional, and national stage.

The Burnley.co.uk place brand is proud how Burnley Council and the borough’s businesses have come together to lead the way and our bondholder membership grows every month. However, we cannot rest on our laurels, and it’s essential that this passion and vision is shared by the next generation of leaders.

This is where the Future Leader programme comes in. Dharma Kovvuri, Dean of The University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) Burnley campus, realised that to pass the baton to Burnley’s younger employees, something structured was required to kick-start this vision. Dharma reached out to the Burnley Focus Group, a smaller group of bondholders who help shape the Burnley place brand strategy, and they were all on board with his idea. The Future Leaders programme builds on the breakout sessions that have taken place throughout 2022 for people aged under 30 who work at a bondholder.

The Future Leaders programme, which is fully funded by Burnley Bondholders, commenced in April. Burnley Council went out to tender for the programme deliverer and Goal Centred Development Ltd was selected as the preferred supplier.

Director and coach, Gina Cole, will lead the programme and deliver 12 months of personal and professional development to the 11 participants who were selected to join the inaugural intake of the Future Leaders programme.

Throughout the 12 months, the participants will benefit from individual coaching and tailored workshops on topics including communication, leadership, resilience and how to develop teams and their performance. Guest speakers will be brought in, utilising the bondholder network, and participants will enjoy a House of Lord’s visit and end-ofprogramme celebration, as well as the regular opportunity to present back to bondholders at events.

Dharma said: “We believe the Future Leaders programme, in collaboration with UCLan and the Burnley Bondholders, is the first of its kind. It is fully funded by the bondholders and will truly be a game-changer – not just for those on the programme, but also for the businesses involved. The participants were supported by their line managers when applying and the skills they learn can be used within their businesses, for the benefit of their businesses.

“UCLan is proud to provide the Burnley campus at Victoria Mill as the innovative space for learning. We know the Future Leaders programme will connect our talented young people and develop and retain their talent within the borough, equipping them with the passion, skills, and contacts to become our next generation of leaders.

“Our Burnley campus already has a growing number of undergraduate, postgraduate and degree apprenticeship courses in Business, Management, Accounting, Computing and Digital Marketing, so it will be great to welcome this cohort of inspiring young leaders into our student community as we continue to support in the up-skilling of talent in East Lancashire.”

Participants come from a wide range of Burnley Bondholders: Akorn Legal, Batch Distillery, Burnley Leisure, Cube HR, Fagan & Whalley, Handelsbanken, PM+M, Root fifty-two. Safran Nacelles (x2) and Viva PR.

We wish the Future Leaders all the best and we look forward to hearing their progress in the next edition of InBusiness Burnley.

To many of our clients, we are seen as the creative and marketing extension of their own team, allowing us to build strong relationships and bring a fresh perspective.

VEKA plc has been leading the global development of PVCU window systems for over 50 years, and now the business has shown its commitment to the future of the industry by backing a national scheme.

The company is taking part in the Building Our Skills – Making Fenestration, Glass and Glazing a Career of Choice programme.

The leading manufacturer is taking part in two of the campaign’s programmes, Building Our Skills - Inspiring the Future campaign and the new ‘Inspiration Days’ programme, to help it attract new recruits into the industry.

The Inspiring the Future campaign asks employers to go into schools and talk to young learners about the possibilities for their future careers and what they could achieve. It is intended to make both students and teachers more aware of the broad range of career paths on offer in the fenestration industry. VEKA plc managing director, and chair of Burnley Bondholders Neil Evans, is setting a great example by taking part in the school visits.

The Inspiration Days initiative is designed to open up industry factories and facilities for school visits. The programme has been devised to help young people to see first-hand what goes on inside businesses. It gives them the opportunity to talk to employees and see what job roles are on offer. The process can inspire them at a time when they are working out which career path to choose.

Commenting on the company’s pledge to support Building Our Skills, Neil, said:

“Attracting new recruits is absolutely the right thing to do in order to help address the industry’s skills shortage, and reaching young learners of school age is a key part of achieving this. Here at VEKA we share Building Our Skills’ aims of showing young people what working in the industry is all about and demonstrating the wealth of roles