event

Peterborough has a higher than average proportion of its working age population who are qualified below level 1 NVQ (42% higher than the UK), or with no formal qualifications at all (26% higher than the UK).¹

Since 2014 the National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough has been working to break cycles of intergenerational low literacy and we have seen an increase in reading for enjoyment in the city.² As part of the next phase of our ten-year journey to raise literacy levels, we are excited to be launching a major new partnership with the business community: the Local Business Promise. The Local Business Promise provides a framework for business action to boost literacy and support the work of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough.

Good literacy skills underpin future success and opportunities and enable young people to achieve their potential at school, do well as apprentices and enter the world of work able to contribute to the success of Peterborough. Gaining those skills takes more than good schools and libraries. It needs engaged and informed parents, a community which values literacy and learning and a focus on those in greatest need.
It also needs engagement of businesses with the local knowledge and reach to make a real impact. Employers in Peterborough are in a position to influence their staff, engage their customers and communities and invest in the future of Peterborough. By taking action now we are laying the foundations for a future workforce with the skills needed to meet rising demands as the economic recovery gains pace.

Date and time: Monday 4 July 2016, 8:30am – 9:30am including breakfast, speeches and networking.

Place: Allia Future Business Centre, Peterborough United Football Club, London Road, Peterborough PE2 8AL

Speakers include: Ben Fletcher, Managing Director, Boots Opticians, Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE, Chair of the National Literacy Trust, Gillian Beasley, Chief Executive, Peterborough City Council and Jonathan Douglas, Director, National Literacy Trust.

RSVP to Rebecca.parsons@literacytrust.org.uk by Friday 24 June

¹ Peterborough: Economic Intelligence Report April 2015 produced by Opportunity Peterborough
²The number of KS2 pupils who enjoy reading in Peterborough has increased by 23.4%
between 2014 and 2015, rising from 59.8% in 2014 to 73.8% in 2015.
The National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough is a partnership with Peterborough City Council and is part-funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.