The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) has launched Stage 3 of the Inclusivity Pilot in Advanced Manufacturing, South Tyneside (IPAM-ST) project, to be undertaken by Gateshead-based equity, diversity and inclusion consultancy Positive About Inclusion.
IPAM-ST will assist South Tyneside residents, who are economically inactive, unemployed, or not in education, to access a vocational skills pathway with the view of future employment in the advanced manufacturing sector.
Preliminary research, completed during Stage 1 of IPAM-ST, identified a complex relationship between unemployed South Tyneside residents and employers.
Despite high levels of unemployment and economic inactivity, employers report that it can be difficult to fill available manufacturing operator jobs with local people. In Stage 3 of the project, Positive About Inclusion’s Directors, Lucy Malarkey and Karen Faulkner, will engage with local, advanced manufacturing employers, to hear their perspectives and collaboratively identify solutions and interventions to overcome the barriers between local residents and advanced manufacturing jobs.
NEAA CEO, Paul Butler, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Positive About Inclusion on this stage of IPAM-ST and would encourage employers to take the opportunity to engage in the project and share their views. By giving Lucy or Karen 30 minutes of their time, they will be helping to shape the next stages of the project and ensuring the outputs and resources delivered as a result of IPAM-ST will be of significant value to employers across our region.”
Lucy Malarkey, Director of Positive About Inclusion, added: “Karen and I have great experience supporting employers to maximise recruitment opportunities. We would love to work with as broad a range of employers as possible and will be hugely flexible to accommodate busy diaries. We can meet at a time and in a way that’s most convenient, be that by phone, via Zoom or Teams, or in-person, if preferred. I can promise an interesting and enjoyable discussion exploring employer perspectives and considering best practice.”
For more information, or to be part of this employer engagement stage, please email hello@positiveaboutinclusion.com by Friday 31st January.