MP backs Gazette's Action4Jobs campaign

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has praised the Westmorland Gazette for their Action4Jobs campaign and said it shows 'community journalism at it's best.'

Action4Jobs is a new dedicated recruitment section within the paper and on their website, aimed at bringing together employers and education providers to help people of all ages find work or develop career opportunities.

There will be a focus on the local jobs market and showcasing career and training opportunities available locally. Tim will be putting upcoming vacancies in his office on the website and has asked businesses big and small to back local people and the campaign.

Tim has pledged to put down a parliamentary motion supporting the campaign and has asked the Speaker for a Westminster Hall debate on the Cumbrian economy to allow him to make the case for more help for businesses in our area.

Tim intends to redouble his campaign to increase the number of well paid jobs in the South Lakes and was involved in the successful bid to bring the £500million GlaxoSmithKline development to the area.

Since 2010 his campaign to bring jobs and investment has really paid off. Working with business has helped bring nearly £650 million of investment or promised investment to South Cumbria. Tim has been involved in securing success for Cumbria's bid in DEFRA's Rural Growth Network, bringing investment to Clawthorpe Hall in Burton-in-Kendal, Ambleside Campus and Marl in Ulverston. The successful campaign to bring the University of Cumbria back to Ambleside will also create 100 jobs and bring up to £15 million of investment into the South Lakes economy. This is on top of broadband funding, support from the Regional Growth Fund for Gilkes, Croppers and Windermere Steam Boat Museum and working to electrify the Lakes Line.

Furthermore, Tim also remains a vociferous champion of apprenticeships in our county. In Westmorland & Lonsdale the apprenticeship figures have risen by 96%. Figures released by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills show that 260 new apprenticeships were created in Westmorland in 2011/12. In total an extra 2,109 apprenticeships have been created in Cumbria since 2009. In Westmorland & Lonsdale the number of apprentices has risen by 96% since 2009, with 760 apprentices in work in 2011/12. In 2005 only 270 apprenticeship places were available in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Tim said: "This campaign is a really welcome initiative and shows why the Gazette is such a fantastic community paper. Since 2010 over 1000 jobs have been created or safeguarded thanks to the funding we have secured or lobbied for, but we can and must do more. I hope that local businesses will back this campaign or look to take on an apprentice. We need more well paid jobs for local people and I wish this campaign every success. I will be supporting it every step of the way!"