Plans to address the skills gap in Thornton have taken a step forward with Wyre Council approving a £40,000 grant to establish a new training facility. The funding, drawn from the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone Business Rates Growth Reserve, will support the development of proposals for a training centre aimed at equipping residents with the skills needed to fill vacancies at companies on the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone estate.
Addressing Skills Shortages
Firms on the estate have been competing for a limited pool of trained applicants, driving up costs. The grant will be awarded to the Addison Academy, an accredited learning and staff training facility already based at Hillhouse. The academy, a sister company to the local, family-owned Addison Group, offers hundreds of accredited online courses.
The decision was made at Cabinet level following a report by portfolio holders Cllr Peter Le Marinel (Planning Policy and Economic Development), Cllr Lesley McKay (Resources), and Sarah Palmer (Director of Transformation and Change). At the meeting, Cllr McKay highlighted ongoing skills shortages and the need to provide residents with the best opportunities. Cllr Le Marinel noted the growing difficulty as organisations compete for the same staff, pushing costs higher.
Feasibility and Consultation
The grant funding will commission independent professional services to develop proposals for the training centre, which may involve constructing a new building on the Hillhouse estate. This includes a consultation process and feasibility study. Cllr Le Marinel commented: “There are just not enough people with the training and skills needed for the various companies on the Hillhouse estate. We have a situation where companies are chasing the same employees, practically pinching each other’s staff and pushing costs up. A training organisation is on site, so it made sense to utilise them. This will create jobs in engineering and other roles available on the estate. It will be good for the local area to offer training matched to actual jobs, good for the companies, and good for the Hillhouse Enterprise Zone overall.”
