Member Article

Midstream in full flow with skills support

A West Lancashire enterprise that offers work activity and training for people with learning difficulties and disabilities has become the latest organisation to benefit from a £5.6m workforce training programme.

Midstream, based in Skelmersdale, has put more than 20 of its team through specialist qualifications, including Level 1 British Sign Language, Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care, and Assessor Practitioner training for learning support assistants.

The free training was secured through the Lancashire Skills Support programme and has been delivered through specialist training provider The Via Partnership. Lancashire Skills Support has already helped more than 3,300 Lancashire workers to secure free training and skills qualifications.

Midstream has over 150 clients and offers work activity and training in horticulture, contract gardening, landscaping and environmental conservation, craft, hospitality and catering. It also operates a retail garden centre, gift shop and tea rooms at its Penrose Place premises.

Mark Saxon, operations manager at Midstream, said: “Midstream strives to remove barriers faced by people with additional needs, and the opportunity of accessing funded support from Lancashire Skills Support for our staff to learn British Sign Language is invaluable. This opportunity has enhanced our inclusive support to clients who have additional communication needs.”

Rebecca Lynch, of The Via Partnership, said: “The qualifications delivered have developed specific skills of the learners giving them the knowledge and understanding to provide additional support to their clients.”

Lancashire Skills Support (LSS), launched in September 2014, now has just over 10 per cent of its 3,817 places remaining and businesses across the county are being urged to act fast if they don’t want to miss out on the support.

LSS has been brought together by Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and has been funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).

Training has been completed in areas including team leadership, management, accounting, marketing, sales, health and social care, customer service, engineering, manufacturing, catering and hospitality.

In total LSS will support 3,817 employees aged 19 and over who are working in small or medium sized businesses and have a workforce of up to 250 employees. It will run until July 2015 with places allocated to businesses on a first-come, first-served basis. The programme operates across the LEP area, which consists of Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen local authorities.

Businesses looking to benefit from the programme can find further information and apply through the website www.lancashireskillssupport.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Boost Business Lancashire .