With delivery of the £25 million Goole Town Deal regeneration programme now starting to get under way, we take a closer look at another of the projects that has been allocated a share of the funding:

Opportunity Goole is one of the eight individual projects that together make up what’s been described as the Goole Town Deal ‘jigsaw’ because of the way that they will combine to have a transformative effect on the town centre by increasing footfall and stimulating long-term economic growth. Not only will Opportunity Goole have a visible presence within the town centre, it’s also likely to be one of the first Goole Town Deal-funded projects to be up and running, but what is it and who is it aimed at? 

Described as a ‘one-stop shop’, Opportunity Goole will offer everyone within the town easier access to information about local job opportunities, training provision, business support and more. Anyone over the age of 16 years is eligible to access the free help and support on offer through Opportunity Goole, regardless of whether they are employed, unemployed or retired.

Dawn Redfern, the newly appointed Project Manager for Opportunity Goole, explained: “Our role is to help upskill local residents, and help local employers to upskill their employees. We’ve been developing a database of training provision available to residents and employers to help us provide impartial advice and guidance on what’s available, identify any gaps in local provision and find ways to ensure that people’s needs are being met.”

She continued: “In the coming months, a small pot of grant funding will be available to help residents and businesses access training provision, which has proved difficult in the past. This can be used to help local people gain the skills that they need to secure employment and will also help to ensure that employers can recruit people with the skillset that they’re looking for from the Goole area, rather than having to look further afield. It’s quite a new concept and, in many ways, we have a blank slate so we can be adaptable, flexible and responsive to meet local need.”

Dawn added: “Opportunity Goole will be very dynamic in terms of what it can deliver; the eligibility criteria is broad and means that we can effectively help to upskill anyone over the age of 16 years who needs our support.”

Reflecting the Goole Town Deal’s Board’s objective to increase football in the town centre, Opportunity Goole will be located within Goole Library on Carlisle Street. This will enable local residents, employers and training providers to drop in to chat with Dawn and her team, which also includes Advisors Julie Harrison and Linda Naylor, and Promotions Co-ordinator Joe Hodgson, whose role is to raise awareness of the support on offer among local residents, employers and training providers. Two more Advisors are due to be appointed soon, completing the team.

The Opportunity Goole team (pictured from the left) – Dawn Redfern (Project Manager), Julie Harrison and Linda Naylor (Advisors), and Joe Hodgson (Promotions Co-ordinator).

Dawn explained: “We’ll be on the ground floor of the building, where one corner will be dedicated to Opportunity Goole. Local people can pop in and see us or make an appointment. We’ll have space for round-the-table discussions and informal chats. We hope to have training providers coming in and running group sessions, plus employers who are looking to recruit will be able to come in and talk about their opportunities face-to-face. 

“We’ll be working with Goole JobCentre Plus, and we’ll be able to refer local people to a wide range of training provision to help equip them with the skills that they need. We’re also looking at how we can offer some wellbeing and mindfulness provision.”

Dawn concluded: “Opportunity Goole is about trying to help local residents and employers. We want to make people’s lives, and the lives of their families, better in whatever they chose to do. Thanks to the Goole Town Deal funding, we have a unique opportunity to meet local need.”

Joe Hodgson, who has lived in Goole all his life and is excited about his new role within the Opportunity Goole team, added: “We have so much scope to be able to offer a really unique and holistic approach; we’ll be playing an active role in the local community to help people enhance their knowledge and skills. This project really is win-win for both local residents and local employers. There are a lot of people working in the Goole area to make a real difference through culture, jobs and infrastructure, and we’re looking forward to being part of that.”

When it opens its doors following the completion of refurbishment work at Goole Library, Opportunity Goole will operate between the hours of 9.30am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 12 noon on Saturdays. As the first Goole Town Deal-funded project to be up and running, it will also act as a hub for residents interested in finding out more about progress on the wider Goole Town Deal programme.

The investment in Opportunity Goole has been welcomed by local employers, a number of whom are represented on the Goole Town Deal Board, which is made up of a broad cross-section of private, public and voluntary sector organisations with a shared commitment to regenerating Goole and growing its economy.

Martin Chapman, who represents Croda Europe Ltd on the Board, said: “We operate a number of sites in the area and employ more than 600 local people. In recent years we’ve invested over £10 million in developing our new Customer Excellence Centre on the Goole 36 Enterprise Zone, off Tom Pudding Way in the town, and we want to ensure that the town’s residents are able to access the exciting career opportunities created by our continued investment in the area. I know that this is a view shared by other major employers in the town too, so it’s absolutely essential that we equip local people with the knowledge and skills that they need to capitalise on these opportunities.”

He added: “I think Opportunity Goole will be incredibly beneficial to employers looking to recruit locally as they’ll be able to go in and chat to the team about their requirements and work with them to identify solutions.”