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First Four North West Local Authorities to Achieve the Skills for Life GO Award The first four local authorities have been awarded the North West Skills for Life GO Awards. The regional Local Government Steering group for Skills for Life were delighted to endorse the submissions for the four authorities that have demonstrated their commitment to improving the skills for life of their workforce – Carlisle City Council, Wirral Council, Merseytravel and Blackpool Council.
The steering group is made up of regional partner organisations and have come together to support authorities improving skills for life, and the GO award is a tangible way of marking excellence and commitment in this field. The GO Award is a key part of the delivery plan for the regional Skills for Life Strategy and the regional economic strategy.
Congratulations go to:
Carlisle City Council Carlisle was the first authority in the region to be assessed and has linked their work on improving skills for life of the workforce to their overarching strategy to make Carlisle a ‘Learning City’.
"The Go Award is now our National Standard for developing staff and responding to their individual needs, which in turn helps them achieve in both their personal lives and in their varied jobs. The Award is very important to us, for not only is it a public affirmation of our absolute commitment to all our staff, it also lets them know that we value them. We all know that when colleagues feel fulfilled, their self confidence and self esteem increases and that helps significantly to deliver excellent services to our local communities.
“Carlisle is developing as a ‘Learning City’ and this means we have to set an example to all employers across our city and the Award really helps us to do that."
Maggie Mooney, Chief Executive, Carlisle City Council
Carlisle Case StudyWirral Council 
Wirral has developed a strong partnership approach with partners locally, including providers and the trade unions which have delivered real results through the implementation of a joint learning agreement.
“I am really pleased to have been involved in this initiative and in having the opportunity of working with some great people. Although the Award makes you focus on driving the Skills for Life initiative forward, what is really important is making sure we provide Skills for Life programmes for those that need them.
“One of the real driving factors is knowing that by helping people improve their literacy and numeracy skills, you can really make a difference to their lives. That has been one of the most rewarding experiences of this scheme.
“Achieving this Award has been a team effort and I would just like to thank all those people that have been involved. It hasn’t always been easy and we still have a way to go but this form of recognition proves what can be done with a dedicated team.” Sam Kennedy, Principal Organisational Development Officer, Wirral Council.
Merseytravel 
Merseytravel has a track record in investing in improving Skills for Life and demonstrated the business case. They have ensured the development and maintenance of a consistent positive ethos of learning throughout the organisation.
"I am delighted for our staff involved in the Skills for Life programme who have been recognised for the work they have put in. It has benefited both the staff and the organisation. For our staff there has been the opportunity to improve literacy and numeracy skills which has opened up new opportunities.
"Since the launch we have also seen an improvement in employee relations, a reduction in the amount of disciplines/grievances and improvements in our attendance levels.
"Staff feel more confident and valued at work because of the investment we are making in them and there has been an increase in motivation and morale." Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General, Merseytravel
Blackpool Council
"This award is in recognition of all the hard work by Elizabeth Bullen and all of our ULR training staff, without whose utter and complete dedication this scheme would not have got off the ground. We are now demonstrating to our workforce that education is not just for those in our schools but for everyone and at any time of their lives, I am fully committed to the Skills for Life programme and give it my wholehearted support."
Elizabeth Bullen, ULR Co-ordinator, Blackpool Council
Blackpool Case StudyThese first four authorities have set the standards for others to follow and the regional partner organisations join in celebrating their success:
“Carlisle City Council, Wirral Council and Merseytravel are to be commended for their commitment to the skills development of their workforce. Companies that are helping to meet the national targets for literacy, language and numeracy improvements as part of the Skills for Life strategy are helping to equip their workforce for the future. By investing in their staff in this way they are also helping the Northwest economy to remain competitive and ensuring that businesses have the skilled and motivated workforce they need to be productive.” Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA)
“I am delighted that Carlisle City Council, Wirral Council and Merseytravel have become the first organisations in the North West to achieve the Skills for Life Go Award for Local Authorities. There has been clear evidence from the assessment process that Go Awards have made a difference to these organisations and Skills for Life has become a springboard for employees who are often disenfranchised from accessing workforce development opportunities because of skills for life needs.
“These three organisations have led the way in the North West region, and I am sure that their success will encourage other authorities to show their commitment to GO Awards in developing the skills of their workforce.”
John Korzeniewski, Regional Director for the Learning and Skills Council in the North West
“Unionlearn is happy to support the GO Award as they help to build a strong partnership between local authorities and unions. They enable local authorities and unions to demonstrate a commitment to embedding learning, and in particular, skills for life into the organisation. The local authorities who are first to come forward, all have strong unionlearn champions and this demonstrates the benefits of working in partnership with trades unions.”
Dave Eva - Regional unionlearn Manager
“The IDeA’s national Skills for Life Team extend their congratulations to the first authorities in the North West region to gain the North West GO Award and look forward to celebrating individual and regional success in Skills for Life in local government.
“We are pleased to be working with the region to support their development and roll-out of the North West GO Award as a methodology to enable local government employers to embed Skills for Life across the whole organisation, thus removing stigma and ensuring that all staff in local authorities have access to training to meet their needs in order to develop themselves and their organisations.”
Nigel Carruthers, Head of Programmes, IDeA
The GO local government Award was developed nationally by the IDeA, with its national stakeholders, and is endorsed by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The North West has worked with national partners so as to benefit from their pioneering work. The North West GO Award has been built on the national framework and regional partners have shaped the Award to support the North West Skills for Life Strategy.
Updated IIPUK Guide for Employers Please click the link below for this guide on the linkages between IIP and Skills for Life.
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