Mayor Dave prioritises skills, jobs and growth for Bedford Borough

Mayor Dave Hodgson has made improving skills, creating jobs and promoting growth priorities as Bedford Borough recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, Mayor Dave launched the new Skills Led Recovery Plan, in May he visited the Jobs Hub and later this year he will launch the Council's new Growth Plan for 2023-2027.

Mayor Dave Hodgson said "The pandemic has had a devastating impact on business, jobs and education across the world. It is absolutely vital that our recovery is one that prioritises future skills development and promotes sustainable business and job growth. We have the opportunity to develop our local economy in a way that benefits current and future generations."

The Jobs Hub offers bespoke careers advice, help to find work, training and business opportunities and a valuable recruitment source for employers. Through working with the service, 1,835 people have been able to find employment, training or enterprise, since 2018. The Jobs Hub also sends out its Vacancy E-Bulletin that now has over 13,700 subscribers. This weekly email provides information for prospective employees on new job opportunities in the local area. Since 2018, there have been over 2,600 new jobs created and many of them have been advertised through the Jobs Hub.

On the success of the Jobs Hub, Mayor Dave said "This is a fantastic service and I encourage anyone who is looking for new employment opportunities use. It is also a great source of talented local people that our 7,000 businesses can choose from. I think the key to the success has been the interaction with businesses through quarterly labour market reports. This means we can ensure our residents have the skills that businesses need."

To find out more about the Jobs Hub and to sign up to the weekly Vacancy E-Bulletin visit https://www.bedford.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/jobs-hub/