Wyred Up forged a strong partnership between Wyre Borough Council, Blackpool and the Fylde College and Job Centre Plus to make sure local people could take advantage of local jobs created by the opening of the new waste treatment plant.

 

Global Renewables opened their brand new Waste Technology Plant on Hillhouse Industrial Estate at Thornton in spring 2010. In all 200 operational roles have been created.

 

The plant processes and recycles waste from all over Lancashire on a 25-year contract. These facilities will help recover over 85% of the waste produced by Lancashire's households.

 

The 'Wyred Up' link was made with Global Renewables when Richard Mander-Jones Operations Manager presented at the March 2009 Wyred Up event in Fleetwood. Richard provided an overiview of the development, the organisation and the jobs to be created.

 

In total Global Renewables required 200 staff, all trained locally from hand sorters, grapples operators and shift supervisors. Wyred Up worked with Blackpool & the Fylde College and Fleetwood Job Centre Plus to launch a Waste Process Worker training course, to give local people the right skills for this work.

 

The three week course, run at the College's Bispham Campus, provided learners with certificates in First Aid, Moving and Handling and Introduction to Health and Safety. The course was also designed to help long-term unemployed people into sustainable work by giving people skills and qualifications directly linked to a job. Anyone who completed the course was presented with a certificate and guaranteed an interview this week. In all 80 candidates completed the pre employment course and were guaranteed an interview. Out of the 80 candidates, 61 secured a job with Global Renewables.

 

 

Fleetwood Job Centre Plus managed the recruitment process for Global Renewables that generated 1000 applications, staff at jobcentre sifted forms at various stages and also devised a questionnaire which helped Global Renewables give feedback to Wyre Borough Council. To date the Fleetwood Job Centre has placed 68 local people into work at the plant.

 

This unique partnership between Wyre Borough Council, Blackpool & the Fylde College and Job Centre Plus enabled Global Renewabales to fill 129 vacancies out of the 200 using the local labour pool.

 

Tracey Robinson, Human Resources Manager at Global Renewables Lancashire is pleased with the partnership, and said:

 

“Global Renewables were clear in their objectives relating to the recruitment of their staff for their site at Thornton. The objective was that it was a local project funded by local people and local people should get the benefit. We approached Job Centre Plus to assist with our recruitment of local individuals. The service we received from Fleetwood Job Centre was fantastic and nothing was too much trouble. The large scale recruitment was difficult to manage due to the numbers concerned but the centre staff in particular Linda and Ann pulled out all the stops and coordinated the activity with efficiency; remaining in contact at all times. The process would not have been as successful without their input. Also, setting up the Employability Programme with Blackpool and The Fylde College has been an instrumental tool in opening up recruitment opportunities to those local people looking to get back into employment, or switch careers. The Lancashire Waste Project is a local initiative and we are thrilled with the calibre of local people hoping to join our team"

 

The Thornton waste treatment facility began accepting Lancashire's household waste in the spring 2010.