College partnership to boost skills and social mobility
A new partnership between Liverpool John Moores University and Hugh Baird College in Bootle will address regional skills requirements and drive social mobility.
The two organisations have signed an agreement to work together to deliver a range of activity to boost employability and skills among young people within the Liverpool City Region.
The collaboration will draw on the expertise of both the university and the college to create clear pathways from school into further and higher education and employment, particularly in deprived areas.
Our two organisations have shared values around widening access to further and higher education and preparing our young people with the skills they need to have successful careers.
Professor Mark Power, Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University
The key themes within the partnership agreement are:
Construction and built environment
The partners will develop initiatives to train young people for roles in construction and built environment, tailored to industry and regional requirements.
The work will address skills gaps and support wider initiatives in the city region, such as the recently-announced collaboration between the combined authority and the Construction Industry Training Board.
Education and childcare
LJMU and Hugh Baird will look to develop a model to enable industry specialists to transition into teaching to educate and train young people planning careers in childcare and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Widening participation
Drawing on the partners’ successful track records in driving social mobility, the agreement will explore opportunities to further widen participation, with a particular focus on deprived areas within the city region.
LJMU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Power, said: “I’m delighted to formalise our partnership with our friends and colleagues at Hugh Baird College.
“We already work closely together and have strategic links aimed at providing extended outreach to students. Our two organisations have shared values around widening access to further and higher education and preparing our young people with the skills they need to have successful careers.
“I look forward to exploring new initiatives together that will help us to make a real positive difference to communities in Sefton and across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.”
Rachael Hennigan, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Hugh Baird College, said: “We believe that building on our already strong collaboration with LJMU we can have an even greater impact on our communities. This partnership will enable us collectively to further support in achieving the LCR’s building ambitions by addressing critical skills gaps.
“We will utilise the expertise within education and childcare sectors by providing clear transition into the teaching professions and give more people within our communities greater access to higher level training.”
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council and Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Employment, Education and Skills, said: “It’s great to see Liverpool John Moores University and Hugh Baird College – two of the city region’s key educational institutions – coming together to share their expertise to create opportunities for young people.
“Skills development, job creation and widening participation in further and higher education play a key role in our ambition of growing the city region economy. Developing a skilled, diverse workforce enables us to deliver some of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the country and enable our young people to reach their full potential here.”
