Climate change, as a result of global warming, has been identified as one of the greatest challenges facing the world today and could lead to significant changes in resource use, production, economic activity and indeed life on this planet.
To help take steps towards combatting this, St Helens Chamber and local partners have created the innovative Together to Zero initiative which will help educate local businesses and young people on how to become greener and the opportunities clean growth can bring to the Region.
The journey to Net Zero is just beginning in the Liverpool City Region
In 2019 the UK Government enshrined in law that the UK would be Net Zero by 2050.
November 2021 then saw world leaders meeting at COP26 to discuss reductions aiming to keep the planet to a 1.5c rise.
This led to large businesses stepping forward and making pledges and commitments to achieve Net Zero, making it clear to see that this is now a significant issue for businesses of all sizes.
Together to Zero is supporting a more sustainable St Helens
As St Helens was identified as one of the Government’s priority places for investment, St Helens Chamber in partnership with St Helens Council, Glass Futures, and other commissioned partners, stepped forward and secured valuable funding via the UK Government Community Renewal Fund scheme.
Leon Carroll, Project Manager at St Helens Chamber explained: “St Helens Chamber is thrilled to launch the #TogetherToZero initiative, which will see local businesses receive funding and skills training to become greener as part of Liverpool City Region’s commitment to become Net Zero carbon by 2040.
“Our project will support the local community in the move to promote clean growth and advanced manufacturing in St Helens and will also support local young people, through working with local schools to raise aspirations and to encourage young people to pursue exciting sustainable career opportunities in the region.”
The Together to Zero project will cover three main areas which include Improving Workplace Skills, Skills Innovation Grants, and Inspiring Children, aligning with key strategic plans in the local borough to:
- Ensure children and young people have a positive start in life
- Support a strong, thriving, inclusive and well-connected economy
- Create green and vibrant places that reflect our heritage and culture
Be a part of the change – get involved in Together to Zero
Leon continued: “Our vision is to build a cohort of #TogetherToZero ambassadors that lead the change we all want to see. We will do this by inspiring children, developing and up skilling leaders, workforces, and supply chains across St Helens.”
Workshops will help educate and train businesses and young people in each of these areas. Three workshops delivered by our training partners who are each expert in their field aim of the workshops is for businesses to learn from the experience of industry experts and get actionable insights into how they can achieve Net Zero status.
Leon added: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to work with local businesses, colleges, universities, training providers, schools, and other partners to build foundations that will create a long lasting impact for our local community and economy.
“We hope that it will inspire future generations to see how they can access careers in these growing sectors, informing them about the opportunities available and inspiring them to pursue higher levels of skills training contributing to the workforce of the future.
“We would welcome enquiries from any local businesses looking to become more sustainable and work towards Net Zero, we have plenty of support available for businesses of all shapes and sizes, so do get in touch to find out more.”
More information on the initiative and how to get involved, including how and when to apply for grants and training opportunities, can be found at https://www.sthelenschamber.com/business/together-to-zero/
