A Cumbrian organisation with just five employees now stands alongside some of the biggest businesses in the world after gaining a prestigious accreditation for its work.
Cleator Moor-based Industrial Solutions Hub (iSH) has become the first organisation in the county to be recognised by the Skills Builder Partnership, after being awarded a Silver Excellence Mark for its skills development work.
Skills Builder is a global framework that helps people develop life skills for success in business and beyond.
It has been developed with hundreds of international organisations in sectors including business and education. If focuses on essential skills for work such as listening, problem solving, creativity and teamwork.
Other organisations to have been awarded accreditation include Amazon, IBM and Lloyds Banking Group.
iSH promotes, connects and drives opportunity for Cumbria’s supply chain through its industrial clusters, while supporting economic growth by expanding the region’s technical capability through its Skills Programmes.
Hannah Pears, iSH skills lead, said: “Achieving the Silver Excellence Mark positions our skills programme alongside those of major national employers.
“We’re a small company but we’re very focussed on delivering for West Cumbria.
“Skills Builder looks at essential skill development in individuals. We’ve used that framework to develop and deliver a programme connecting education with real-world opportunity, which has industry challenges at its core.
“It responds directly to local skills shortages while embracing the opportunities that emerging technologies like robotics and digital provide.
“We want young people in West Cumbria to get good jobs in future facing industries. The clusters we are developing at iSH will offer fast moving technical careers. To do that, we have to build their skill set beyond technical ability. To do well in a job interview you have to be able to communicate well.”
These are among the skills iSH focused on in its work with 470 young people in local schools and colleges in the last academic year.
Projects included the Robotics School Sprint Challenge. This six-week competition, with the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo), saw students from three colleges build and program robots to collect and transport mock nuclear waste barrels.
Digital Cumbria work experience provides learners with direct exposure to multiple digital organisations and roles. iSH also provides targeted support for underrepresented groups, including care leavers entering apprenticeships, through mentoring and tailored guidance to build confidence and remove barriers.
Participants’ essential skills are assessed before and after iSH’s Skills Outreach programmes. After the Robotics School Sprint Challenge, 92 per cent of students recorded overall improvement.
Cath Dutton, strategic careers lead with economic development body Enterprising Cumbria, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for iSH.
“In Cumbria, we know that many employers face challenges in finding young people who feel ready for the workplace, not because of a lack of potential but because they haven’t had consistent opportunities to build their essential skills and confidence.
“iSH has responded to that challenge in a practical way. Being the first in the county to hold this mark is something to be proud of.”
