Adding a new job or training to your weekly shopping list is about to become a reality thanks to a pioneering 'skills shop' opening in Leigh town centre this week.
Leigh Skills Shop is based in Market Street and offers a range of services to help local people improve their job prospects. It will showcase the opportunities set to come from new developments in the area such as Leigh Sports Village and Bickershaw, with staff on hand to help local residents get these jobs.
The shop has been operating from temporary premises since November last year and finally moved into its permanent home last month. Over two hundred people have already visited the project, which has also assisted almost two hundred people with vocational qualifications and helped fifty people gain basic skills.
The Leigh Skills Shop follows a similar award winning project in Wigan which was created for the new Grand Arcade shopping centre. The success of this has meant that Wigan Council and its partners secured an additional £250,000 funding for the Leigh scheme.
Susan Gambles, Assistant Director for Economic Regeneration at Wigan Council, said:
“The main objective is to ensure that local residents do not miss out on the many job opportunities that are coming forward now and in the near future.
“There is a very real issue across the borough in terms of long term unemployment and low or inappropriate skills within a community can be a barrier to employment. The funding has been allocated to tackle this and provide support at a local level.
“The fact that so many people have already benefited from the project is positive and demonstrates its value to the community. The Leigh Skills Shop continues the strong partnership that was developed between Wigan Council and other organisations through the pilot project.”
The new premises will be formally opened by Leigh MP Andy Burnham on Friday 28 March.
Anyone interested in a career in retail, or who would like to improve their skills, can drop in to the shop at 8 Market Street, Leigh from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, or phone 01942 404456.
Notes to Editors
1. Wigan Council and its partners have secured £150,000 from the North West Coalfield Community Challenge and £100,000 from Neighbourhood Renewal Funds and the Department of Work & Pensions Deprived Area Fund to run the Leigh Skills Shop until April 2009.
2. Key partners in delivering the project are Wigan and Leigh College, West Leigh High School, Inspire 2 Independence, Working Wonders, Manchester Solutions, Job Centre Plus, Wigan Leisure and Cultural Trust, LSV Co (operators of Leigh Sports Village), Greenbank Partnerships (developers of Leigh Sports Village).
3. The Wigan Retail Skills Shop won a prestigious award for Partnership of the Year in May 2007. The awards are organised by Greater Manchester Employer Coalition, part of the National Employment Panel established in 1997. It is composed of top business executives along with public sector and community leaders who work with Government and other stakeholders to open up job and career opportunities to local people; particularly those facing significant barriers to work.
