Licence to Sew – a bespoke programme supporting local people with the opportunity to upskill

West Lancashire Borough Council is delighted to be working in partnership with The Sewing Rooms Skelmersdale; to help address an important skills gap in a critical sector, cross West Lancashire.

The 'Licence to Sew' programme is funded by the Council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund and will provide local people from the age of 17+ the opportunity to upskill and train to become a skilled machinist, with the potential after completion of the programme to be employed by local manufacturing business.

The programme will be delivered over ten weeks and encompasses a comprehensive curriculum to meet the specific demands of local manufacturing businesses. The training includes tutor-led sessions, self-directed online modules, and practice sessions tailored to industry quality standards.

Paula Gamester MBE, Chief Executive of The Sewing Rooms, highlights the pressing need for skilled sewing machinists. "Recognising the shortage in our community, we collaborated with Redwood TTM, a prominent local manufacturing company facing challenges in recruiting skilled sewing machinists. When we were approached, we were delighted to accept the initial challenge and to explore the further potential for other local businesses and the wider community.”

Councillor Rob Molloy, portfolio holder for Economic Development and Regeneration said: "The Council's UK Shared Prosperity Funding aims to support Local Businesses, Communities, Place and People. This unique programme has helped to identify a skills gap across a critical sector, with challenging roles to fill.

The mission is to upskill local people into local jobs and build a cultivated workforce that propels and retains high productivity manufacturing businesses in West Lancashire, whilst increasing and sustaining the economic growth within the borough. We're really pleased to be working collaboratively with local partners to deliver this unique programme, to support businesses and help to create skilled employment opportunities for our residents.”

For more information or to enrol on the program, please contact Paula Gamester at The Sewing Rooms at: paula@the-sewing-rooms.co.uk