Following the news that an electronics factory in Lincoln is closing with the loss of up to 160 jobs, the Lincolnshire Echo called for comment from the Employment and Skills Board, who have said it's vital the skills are retained in the area.

Workers at e2v technologies, in Carholme Road, have been told that the site will be closing within 12 months. The decision is being blamed on a contracting order book and an unsuccessful attempt to sell the Lincoln business.

Said Roy Harper at Lincolnshire & Rutland Employment and Skills Board:  “The skills of the workforce have been developed over a long period of time and cannot be easily replaced or attracted back in, once they have been lost to the area.  If we want to attract new employers and new opportunities, we need to be able to demonstrate we have the skills here for them.

“Our area unfortunately has a high number of low skill/low pay jobs so skilled opportunities like these are especially precious to us and we need to work together with a joined up approach to ensure that we don’t lose this skilled workforce to jobs outside the area.

“We’ll be working with partners like JobCentrePlus to make sure that the staff get the right support, including retraining where necessary, so  they can continue to make their valued contribution to the local economy.”

The role of the Employment and Skills Board is to influence employment and skills support so that it meets the needs of employers, with the aim of more highly skilled local workforce, able to attract new employment opportunities and boost economic development.

Visit  www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk for more on this story.

ENDS