Have your say on an exciting new strategy that draws together planned growth activity and proposes a variety of actions across skills and business to create an inclusive, thriving and well-connected economy for St Helens Borough.
The St Helens Inclusive Growth Strategy consultation will launch later this month and give people the chance to influence how the St Helens Together ethos, which provided so much support for those in need during Covid-19, can continue to help the borough succeed through the current cost of living crisis and into the future by greater cooperation between businesses, organisations and communities.
Among the measures the draft strategy aims to deliver is a St Helens Borough Skills Pledge which will give young people and adults a clear route to good quality jobs including increased visibility of opportunities, access to qualifications like apprenticeships, T-Levels, a refreshed schools and business programme and a retraining offer for adults. Other projects include a Flexi-Apprenticeship Programme where people looking to retrain can work as an apprentice on a three month placement in different organisations.
Councillor Kate Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Economy, Business and Skills, said: “Over the coming years there are a wealth of opportunities for St Helens Borough’s economy to grow significantly with investment projects like Parkside, Omega, Glass Futures and many more alongside our regeneration plans for Earlestown and St Helens town centres. The proposed Inclusive Growth Strategy is about how we make sure that supporting economic growth benefits everybody in our borough.
“This means taking a universal view on what is needed to support both businesses but also our residents in making the most of the opportunities afforded by our growth plans. From getting the right education and training for our young people to make the most of hi-tech jobs on offer, to linking local businesses into supply chains for the larger projects and making sure that our existing businesses have the ability to grow and thrive here in St Helens Borough. The Inclusive Growth Strategy is about bringing prosperity that benefits everyone and I would encourage people to respond to the consultation so that we can ensure the final strategy does exactly that.”
The draft strategy has been created with the support of key partners to fit in with the St Helens Together Borough Strategy 2021-2030. You can view the draft strategy on this link – Draft Inclusive Growth Strategy.
The consultation is open to everyone to take part and once it closes the final strategy will go to Cabinet for approval later this year.
