Employment platform launches in response to Covid-19’s impact on the North

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) from across the North of England have launched a new platform to share opportunities for employment, apprenticeships and training in response to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of 11 Northern LEPs, including Cheshire and Warrington, have launched a pilot of the SignedUp Skills service in partnership with software firm PDMS. The pilot will run until the end of 2020 with a view to develop into a long-term initiative.

The free-to-use platform has been designed to make it easier for those in the region who have lost work because of the pandemic to find new employment and training opportunities locally. The region has been disproportionately affected by the outbreak, with an estimated 20.7% shrinking of the region’s output between 2019 and Q2 of 2020.

The SignedUp Skills website will be a comprehensive resource, detailing local vacancies, training courses and apprenticeship opportunities, both locally and across the 11 Northern LEP areas. The service will also signpost users to those industries most important to their local areas, and where there is particular demand for skilled workers.

Clare Hayward, chair of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, commented:

There is no doubt that the pandemic continues to have a significant effect on businesses across Cheshire and Warrington and is consequently impacting the number of job opportunities across our region, and we need to make sure that we are tapping into local talent and offering people the chance to develop their skills, or retrain to help us to build back better.

“We’re therefore thrilled to be part of this new skills platform. SignedUp will signpost people to job and training opportunities and enable them to see which industries are growing and need fresh talent on board.”

The SignedUp Skills website for the Cheshire and Warrington area has launched here.