Support On the Way for Coastal Tourism Businesses and Workers
A project to support tourism businesses on the Lincolnshire coast and improve access for residents to jobs and training has secured £370,000 of government funding.
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership has successfully bid for the money for its Coastal Sustainability through Careers and Business Skills in Greater Lincolnshire scheme.
On Saturday (23rd March) the Local Growth Minister Jake Berry MP announced that the Lincolnshire project is one of 26 across England to receive grant funding from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund.
The project aims to fill skills gaps in the coastal community, improve the quality of life of residents on the coast and create a high-quality year-round visitor economy which benefits from a local supply of skilled reliable staff.
It will support tourism businesses on the Lincolnshire coast to survive and thrive and will help residents – both employed and unemployed – to find jobs and develop their careers by raising aspirations and upskilling the workforce.
The programme will run from October 2019 until March 2021. It is hoped that it will create 100 new jobs, safeguard 120 existing jobs and support 370 new learners, 50 coastal businesses and five social enterprises.
“This is fantastic news for tourism businesses on the Lincolnshire coast and for local residents working in the sector or looking to begin their career in tourism,” said Nicola Radford, Senior Commissioning Officer at Lincolnshire County Council, who will manage the project.
“The visitor economy on the Lincolnshire coast is highly seasonal, which means that jobs are often insecure and tourism businesses can find it hard to recruit staff locally who have the right skills.
“Coastal businesses have told us that the visitor economy sector needs to offer people a career, not just a summer job, so we will work with them to retain staff and offer annual contracts by extending the season, improving skills and raising aspirations.
“Through this targeted programme we will also bring together local training providers to address those skills shortages with employers and help people access employment and develop careers on the Lincolnshire coast.”
Among the features of the 18-month programme will be:
- a Coastal Business Forum to develop a local skills offer
- a Coastal Careers brand to promote the opportunities in the visitor economy
- a Coastal Escalator Skills Portfolio so people can gain skills and qualifications to access employment
- bite-sized training courses
- better use of local labour market data to understand employment trends, barriers and opportunities
- a Coastal Champions programme using inspirational role model
Notes for editors:
Partners in the project are: the Greater Lincolnshire LEP, Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey ITEC (First College) – East Lindsey (Louth and Skegness), Community Learning In Partnership – East Lindsey, (Mablethorpe), Boston College of Further Education, Grimsby Institute/Skegness TEC, Bishop Burton College, Lincoln, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), Butlins, Lincolnshire Coastal BID, Coastal Developers Forum, East Lindsey District Council, Visit East Lincolnshire, Stagecoach, The Prince’s Trust, Magna Vitae, Hardy’s Animal Farm, Coastfields Leisure, the Coastal Communities Alliance and SkillsReach.
The Greater Lincolnshire LEP was set up in 2010 and works with businesses and local authorities to develop and grow Greater Lincolnshire’s diverse economy.
It is a public / private partnership led by the private sector.
It works with central government and the private sector to invest in infrastructure, skills, innovation and productivity.
More than 100 businesses are involved in its strategies, and 80 business people sit on its boards.
The LEP has an ambitious and balanced strategic economic growth plan for Greater Lincolnshire.
The LEP’s six priority sectors are agri-food, the visitor economy, manufacturing, logistics, health and care and low-carbon energy.
The LEP has invested £307 million in local economic growth schemes in Greater Lincolnshire since 2014.
The Greater Lincolnshire LEP covers an area including North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire and the administrative county of Lincolnshire and is led by a LEP board made up of leading figures in the public and private sector.
To find out more visitor follow the LEP on Twitter: @greaterlincslep.
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