Member Article

Business leaders attend Career Connect by Royle appointment

Leading figures in business and education attended the launch of careers advice charity Career Connect in Liverpool this week.

Royle Family actor Ricky Tomlinson was the special guest along with Liverpool Vision Chief Executive Max Steinberg and young entrepreneur Lee Wainwright as business leaders from across the region attended to learn more about the charity, which has grown out of the former Greater Merseyside Connexions service.

The service provides high quality careers advice to more than 60,000 young people and 46,000 adults a year across the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and the North West each year and its move to become a charity aims to ensure that it is able to continue to provide its vital service in the face of national cuts to careers advice budgets.

“When I was young I was lucky, there was always work,” said Ricky.

“Now we have to make sure that we give young people a chance to make the right choices about the modern world of work. Young people work hard if they are given the opportunity and if they have work they can contribute at home, to the economy - it is good for everyone to make sure they have the benefit of the right advice and support.”, he added.

His message was echoed by Career Connect Chief Executive Kieran Gordon. He said that the charity could support not only young people, but also businesses looking to grow by identifying people with the right skills; helping them to develop the skills and behaviours that are essential to the fast changing world of employment.

“Working in schools, colleges and universities is an important part of our role because we offer high-quality advice on careers,” he said. “We work with 60,000 young people and 46,000 adults a year across the Liverpool City Region, and other areas of the North West.

“Career Connect has developed a suite of assessment tools that can help young people identify their personal attributes and develop their career plans, which can be supported by expert professional help from our advisers.

“We also support business. Investors in Liverpool want a progressive skills base; they want to know that the local workforce can meet their needs. Businesses already here want to grow and remain; and we can work with them to identify where existing staff can benefit from enhanced employability skills, which make them more confident, productive and resilient.

“We keep up to date with the changing needs of employers, monitoring employment trends to see where there is emerging need and informing schools and colleges about what opportunities exist for their students now and in the future.”

Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision Max Steinberg also spoke at the launch. He said that a service like Career Connect was vital as Liverpool stood on the brink of exciting change.

“Liverpool is already a huge economy and one which is continuing to grow,” he said. “When the SuperPort is completed that growth will further accelerate as Liverpool regains its place as a major international multi-modal transport hub.

“We have thriving finance, legal, creative and visitor sectors and what they all need to develop further is a skilled workforce. The work Career Connect is undertaking in offering professional advice to those looking for careers and those looking to employ them in order to help the local workforce retain the right skills, is hugely important”.

Young entrepreneur Lee Wainwright runs Liverpool coffee shop Quills Coffee. He has previously worked with Connexions and is about to work with Career Connect as he looks to expand and take on new employees.

“Career Connect is vital to helping young people really identify what they want to do and how to do it,” he said. “It also helps employers identify skills that perhaps they may not otherwise be able to see in an interview, like the character of a person.

“Business is about people and Career Connect doesn’t just focus on qualifications, it focuses on people and that is why I think it will be a huge benefit to the region. It helps young people find a direction when making a career decision seems daunting and it helps businesses find the right people to fit into their organisation in order to be successful.”

To learn more about Career Connect, visit www.careerconnect.org.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .