John Lewis signs Birmingham's jobs and skills charter

Department store John Lewis has confirmed that it is

teaming up with Birmingham City Council and Network Rail on a ‘Jobs and Skills Charter’, which has been created to help local people access more than 1,000 new jobs being created by the Grand Central Birmingham shopping centre and Birmingham New Street station.

The Charter sets out how the three organisations will ensure Birmingham’s diverse community, including young unemployed people, have access to the opportunities being created by the development in the city centre which will be anchored by a 250,000 square foot John Lewis shop. The store, which is due to open in autumn 2014, will provide three-quarters of the 1,000 jobs available.

The companies have laid out plans to work with local colleges and universities, as well as specialist agencies including Jobcentre Plus, the Skills Funding Agency and National Apprenticeship Service to ensure skills, training and access are a top priority is the key commitment within the Charter.

Commenting on 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." 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."