Freshfield scoops two Department for Education skills marketing contracts

Freshfield has landed marketing briefs for the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and The Lancashire Colleges as part of two separate Department for Education funded pilots to transform skills in Lancashire.

The North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce has appointed Freshfield to create a brand communications strategy, identity and website as part of a campaign to engage with over 10,000 businesses to create the Lancashire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).

The Chamber is one of eight UK Chambers of Commerce appointed to spearhead the government-led initiative. LSIPs hope to address concerns that employers do not have enough influence over courses and skills offered in local area and struggle to find skilled employees.

LSIPs were proposed as elements of the government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper, published in January 2021, which is now referred to as the Skills Accelerator.

The second Freshfield commission is with The Lancashire Colleges to provide PR and marketing support on an £8.4m programme to upskill Lancashire’s businesses for the low carbon economy of the future.

Freshfield was selected by The Lancashire Colleges – made up of the county’s 12 further education and sixth-form colleges – to market and promote the Department for Education’s Strategic Development Fund Pilot.

Freshfield will work with The Lancashire Colleges to create a full strategic marketing plan to promote the pilot to local businesses, working with the individual colleges to develop stories to inspire employers to get involved and allow each of the pilot’s eight projects to speak with one clear voice.

Similarly, Freshfield will also promote the regional and economic benefits of the pilot to build the reputation of Lancashire as a green skills trailblazer, while also building a brand-new website for The Lancashire Colleges designed to showcase the range of funding and support on offer from the projects.

Speaking on the appointment, Simon Turner, Freshfield CEO, said: “It’s exciting for the team to be playing its part in two projects that can have a far-reaching impact on Lancashire’s education and skills system, workers and businesses.

“Both projects will bring together our full-service proposition to engage with business owners and leaders to help shape the provision of skills in Lancashire while showcasing the county’s education credentials.”

In November, Freshfield was highly commended at the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)’s National Awards for its work with Lancashire County Council’s £6m Business Growth Hub to support the Lancashire business community through the Covid-19 pandemic.