This section offers valuable information to help you cultivate a successful business, with resources on training, skills development and recruitment—empowering your employees as a key part of your business’s success and growth.
Workwell
Burnley Council have partnered with Calico to support people with low-level health conditions to start, stay or succeed in work. This may include back and knee pain and other musculoskeletal issues, as well as low level mental health conditions such as anxiety and stress.
The government-funded scheme supports both employers and employees by providing the necessary support to help employees return to or stay in work. Individuals can refer themselves to the scheme. For more information click here.
Training and Recruitment
Investing in training and recruitment is important as it ensures that employees can fulfil their roles effectively and stay motivated. It also helps to build resilience for the future of your business in an ever changing world. Burnley benefits from high quality further and higher education colleges right on the doorstep. The town also boasts a University campus and there are a number of work-based training providers who can meet your training and development needs.
Thrive
Thrive is Burnley’s employment & skills hub created to help young people fully participate in the workforce, be more highly skilled, innovative and entrepreneurial. Thrive works with businesses to help young people to access employment opportunities and to provide the skills needed by businesses to be more productive & innovative. They also work with businesses and training providers to help identify and shape the provision of future skills in line with the needs and changes of industry
Apprenticeships
If your business is considering hiring an apprentice, the Apprenticeships website covers everything for apprentices and employers including how apprenticeships work, funding, recruitment and training. Apprenticeships can also be used to upskill and retrain your existing workforce. You can find out everything about how apprenticeships can fire up your organisation here and there are local providers within Burnley.
Lancashire Skills & Employment Hub
Lancashire Skills Pledge
The Lancashire Skills Pledge is all about helping businesses grow by investing in people. It recognises companies that are already supporting staff development and helping young people gain valuable skills – and encourages others to get involved too.
If you run a business in Burnley, the Skills Pledge is a great way to show your commitment to local talent. You can choose from a range of pledges that suit your business – whether it’s something you’re already doing or something new you’d like to try.
No matter your size or sector, there’s a pledge that fits your business. Get involved and help boost skills, employment, and opportunity across Burnley.
The Lancashire Skills Hub offer many more initiatives which can be found on their website. One initiative is Connect to Work, an employer facing programme to support you retain staff and reduce absence rates, overcoming barriers to employment. They have recently published ‘Building an Inclusive Workplace: Health Conditions and Disabilities Guide’; you can read it here
Skills Bootcamps in Lancashire
Skills Bootcamps are intensive and flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector specific skills and fast track to an interview with a local employer.
Designed with employers, participants will gain the in-demand skills to move into or progress in their chosen sector. Participants will be offered a guaranteed job interview upon completion.
If your would like to ease your recruitment challenges by employing a Skills Bootcamp graduate, please visit the Skills Bootcamps webpage. They will help match you to a suitable Skills Bootcamp training partner.
Burnley College
Burnley College works closely with employers in the recruitment and training of apprentices. Their recruitment specialists can advise on the many benefits of employing an apprentice including any Government incentives and funding to which you may be eligible. The college will also discuss the financial benefits associated with apprentice recruitment and will also ensure you have a full understanding of the legal requirements involved.
The college also provide a wide range of training courses to upskill you and your employees. If you are unsure about what training would be the most beneficial for your business, they offer a skills audit of your business to identify individual training needs. Burnley College also offer a bespoke business development consultancy.
For more information on how Burnley College can help your business click here or email employer@themis.ac.uk.
University of Lancashire
Situated in the heart of the town, the University of Lancashire works in partnership with businesses and organisations from all sectors to develop and deliver tailored training programmes. The University of Lancashire offers high quality university courses and professional qualifications to individuals looking to develop their career. These include Degree Apprenticeships, Leadership and Management Programmes, professional development and short courses.
Help to Grow Management Course
Help to Grow is a government backed programme, designed to enable senior leaders/managers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to boost their leadership skills and business performance to achieve business growth. The programme is 90% government funded for eligible SMEs – which means the cost is just £750 per person. For more information about enrolling on this course and to check whether your company is eligible, please go to Help to Grow: Management Course – UCLan.
The university also offers a wide range of business support from consultancy and research expertise to grant funded projects and innovation. To find out more about what The University of Lancashire has to offer visit their website or email business@uclan.ac.uk.
East Lancs Chamber of Commerce
Chamber Business Training is the largest of its kind in the UK and a leading provider of professional development for businesses. With a strong commitment to upskilling and empowering workforces, the program offers practical training courses that cater to the needs of today’s business environment.
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus has a range of recruitment services that can help you an as employer. They can give recruitment advice and support including help with setting up work trials to try out potential recruits. They can also offer support if you employ someone with a disability or health condition.
The Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) is designed to help meet employers’ immediate and future recruitment needs as well as to recruit a workforce with the right skills to sustain and grow their business. This is a flexible programme that can be tailored to meet your recruitment needs ensuring that you recruit staff with the right training and skills from the outset, developed through fully-funded pre-employment training.
A sector-based work academy can last up to 6 weeks and includes pre-employment training relevant to the needs of the business and sector, a work experience placement and a guaranteed job interview.
The Employer Services Line will connect you to a local Employer Adviser who will work with you to fill your vacancies and can give more information on the Sector-based Work Academy Programme. Employer advisers can give advice on how to write job descriptions, the recruitment process, promote your vacancies in local job centres, help you to select and interview candidates and much more.