John Lewis signs up to jobs and skills charter for Birmingham’s Grand Central
John Lewis has teamed up with Birmingham City Council and Network Rail to sign a jobs and skills charter to help local people access more than 1,000 new jobs created by the development of the new Grand Central Birmingham shopping centre and the city’s New Street station.
The Charter sets out how the three organisations will ensure Birmingham’s community has access to the opportunities being created by the development in the city centre which will be anchored by a 250,000 sq ft John Lewis shop due to open in Autumn 2014. The store will provide three-quarters of the 1,000 jobs available.
Working with local colleges and universities and agencies such as Jobcentre Plus, the Skills Funding Agency and National Apprenticeship Service, the three organisations will make skills, training and access key commitments within the Charter.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council said: “This is another illustration of our commitment to helping local people into work. I am delighted that John Lewis and Network Rail have signed up to working with us to provide an opportunity for our priority groups to access the new jobs which are arising out of this investment.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis, added: “Our aim as an employer is to reflect the community in which we trade and I am delighted to sign this Charter, which underlines our commitment to providing local jobs for local people. We want to ensure that the opportunities created by the new Grand Central development are accessible to all and benefit Birmingham and we look forward to welcoming new Partners into our business.”
The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station and the Pallasades Shopping Centre into Grand Central Birmingham is backed by Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Centro and Advantage West Midlands.
