A £9.4m training and careers programme that will aim to help plug skills gaps and support up to 10,000 people next year has been unveiled by Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram.
The plan includes an expansion of the mayor’s Be More apprenticeships portal to help upskill workers and jobseekers of all ages across the city region.
Up to £4.5m in grants will be distributed by the end of 2022 – supporting 1,500 businesses and helping 10,000 people to learn fresh skills or find new careers.
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A total of £2m will go towards free training for employees to tackle skills shortages in 19 designated areas, divided into leadership and management, basic business skills, soft support skills, and hospitality.
Mr Rotheram said: "Our region’s greatest natural resource is our people. Resourceful, passionate and hardworking, they will always be the bedrock of our fortunes.
"But too often, people from our area are denied the chance to get on in life. Not because of a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity.
"Levelling the playing field and fixing that imbalance has been one of my biggest priorities since I was first elected.
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"From the initial launch of Be More – our award-winning UCAS-style apprenticeship portal that was the first of its kind in the country – to the launch of my Young Person’s Guarantee, I want to give everyone in the Liverpool City Region the best possible chance to get on in life.
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"This radical expansion of Be More will be transformative for the service and should help 10,000 people by the end of 2022.
"As a former apprentice myself, I know the life-changing impact that decent training opportunities and good careers advice can have. I want everyone in our region to get those same opportunities."
Joanne Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool and Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills, Equality and Diversity, added: "This project is so vitally important to help tackle the shortage of skills that holds back our residents, offering them the opportunity to reach their potential.
"Getting a job, training or apprenticeship is absolutely life changing but too often we hear of people who find it hard to access opportunities.
"This project is absolutely fundamental to making sure people of all backgrounds and ages are given a helping hand on to the employment ladder."